Super Maria: A Tale of Unexpected Love
by KingBoo22
Summary: A Princess and a Monster fall in love, but will they be allowed to remain together? Bowser Jr.x OC Please review! Rated T for some language.
1. Chapter 1: The End

Disbelief did not even begin to describe how Mario felt at that moment.

"Everything has been fine for so long. Why now?" he thought bitterly to himself.

Mario and his younger brother Luigi raced down the corridors of the cumbersome castle they knew so well. The brothers had one thing on their minds at the moment, making them distraught.

Princess Peach had been kidnapped by Bowser again.

As the duo dashed through the King's layer, they heard the familiar sound of enemies approaching. Luigi glanced quickly over to Mario who merely nodded.

"We have to get to her", he thought, "We have to get there, and end this."

Mario and Luigi sharply turned a corner, only to discover their nemesis's minions lying in wait.

The poor goombas never saw them coming.

By the time they realized they were being attacked, Mario and Luigi swiped them away with a mere punch.

A smile spread across the heros' faces, basking in the simple victory they achieved; however, their joy quickly faded for Mario and Luigi had reached the final door.

The plumbers froze for a moment unable to go on. Both knew what would happen next, yet something held them back. It was as if fear plunged a sword into their very essences and made them immobile. Finally the strange moment passed when Luigi broke the silence.

"Are you ready, bro?"

"Yes."

Each placing one hand on the wooden spiked door, the Mario Brothers slowly pushed on what they hoped would be the beginning of the end.

When their entrance was cleared, the duo stepped into a boiling battlefield. Small metallic platforms were all that kept the Mario brothers from falling into a pit of lava.

Mario and Luigi looked around the arena, realizing this fight would not be too difficult, but their reassurance melted suddenly when they noticed Princess Peach dangling a cage, merely a fall away from the sea of fire.

"Well, look who decided to drop in," a rough voice grunted.

The plumbers' attention quickly diverted to creature they knew all too well. The flaming, orange hair, the spiked shell, and those red eyes that would send shivers down your spine.

"Bowser," Luigi sneered.

Bowser paid no notice to the green-clad hero, but instead, glared ruthlessly at his brother.

"Mario," the Koopa rumbled.

"Give me back Peach, you monster!" The Italian plumber hollered, barely keeping his cool.

The King simply roared with laughter and responded with a nasty smirk, "Over my dead body!"

Luigi quickly broke in, "This is ridiculous! Mario and Peach are married now! Enough is enough! You look pathetic kidnapping a married woman, Bowser. Give it up."

The evil grin which had spread across the Koopa King's face, twisted into a snarl that even made Luigi step back. Bowser's reputation was everything to him, and being "pathetic" was not something that he would look at with pride.

"Peach was always mine," he barked, "She _is_ mine and it will always be that way! I'm not giving her to such worthless bastards."

That had been the last straw for Mario. His hands suddenly curled into fists. He screamed at the top of his lungs, "LET'S A-GO!" , and instantly bolted for Bowser.

The Koopa King's instincts took over and at once breathed fire to stop the plumber in his tracks. With a simple roll, Mario barely dodged Bowser's flames, but still he reached for the creature's tail so that he could defeat the King once again.

Bowser knew the trick too well and swiftly jumped onto another platform and protected himself from Mario's attack.

--

Luigi looked upon his brother realizing he needed help. But just as he stepped onto another platform, something splattered onto his food. A slimy colorful goo that could only be produced by a brat of a king, Bowser Jr.

"I'm not letting you pass!" the child snickered, "Not until you defeat me!"

"Fine," Luigi muttered as he drew forth his hammer, "Let's begin."

Immediately the two charged for each other, their weapons vibrated as they made contact. Locked in a stalemate, Luigi nor Bowser Jr. were able to move, and able to help their own ally while they dueled.

--

"This is foolish," Mario told himself. The plumber could not even fathom why Bowser would kidnap Peach even though it was clearly obvious whom Peach had chosen! While Mario rolled, jumped, and dodged, his mind drifted back to all the memories he had of rescuing his love, and upon every new adventure it always remained the same: Bowser could never beat him. The red-clad hero did not understand why Bowser would try the same thing over and over again, just to be defeated the same way, and still puffed his chest out every time stating that he would "defeat" Mario.

Even though the scenarios never changed, Mario had. He longed to have a normal life and live peacefully with Peach. The Italian plumber even had a daughter now, and never wanted to explain to her why "A big scary monster took mommy away." He wanted to enjoy life to its fullest and take everything for what it was worth. Mario was ready to move on.

Upon that realization, rage overtook Mario, and with a simple kick he grounded Bowser's face to the floor.

Mario exploded, "You bastard! Admit it! YOU LOST AND THERE IS NO REMATCH! WE'RE DONE"

For Bowser, it was as if Mario ripped off his shell and stabbed him in the heart.

With that comment the Koopa stood up and roared with all his might, shaking the very platform beneath his feet. When he spoke, Mario swore he felt the lava freeze over. Even Bowser's once flaming breath turned into a blizzard.

"Never."

Then Koopa's rampage began, quickly conjuring bom-ombs from thin air, the King bombarded Mario with explosions. The plumber could barely evade the attack let alone trying to counter his nemesis.

Until he saw an opening.

Instantly Mario grabbed hold of one of he explosives and threw it right back, catching Bowser off-guard.

But Koopa's reflexes were too swift and immediately the grasped the bomb and flung it into the air.

A sudden gasp escaped from the plumber's lips. Glancing to where Mario was, Bowser stood in horror as to what he had just done.

The bom-omb was headed for Princess Peach, who could only watch in shock.

For a split second, everyone stopped, only to gaze at the events that unraveled before them.

A loud "BOOM!" was all that was heard at that moment in the castle. Smoke and dust covered the battlefield, but even through the clouds, Mario caught a glimpse of Peach falling.

There was no platform underneath to save her.

That is all it took for the little Italian plumber snap to his senses.

Mario bolted to where the Princess was diving, using every bit of energy he had left.

Time seemed to slow down, for everyone else could not move.

"I'm going to make it," he panted, "I'm going to make it!"

The plumber slide on his stomach to the edge of the platform, stretching his hand out with all his might.

Reality screeched to a halt.

Peach's fingers slipped through his hand.

No one moved, no one breathed, no one did anything, but listen to Peach's screams.

"MARIO!" she cried with all her might.

The plumber stretched out his arm even further hoping that it would somehow save the young woman from her fate. He couldn't speak, he couldn't do anything!

Mario could not save his princess.

Then she was gone, engulfed by the sea of fire.

_Thump._

Luigi sunk to his knees, tears cascaded down his cheeks. Words did not even begin to describe how he felt. Disbelief and horror entangled his mind, wanting to believe that everything was just a dream.

The green-clad hero was so overcome by his sadness that he did not even notice the Koopa King and his son vanish from the arena, for they too were stricken with grief.

After an eternity, Mario stood up, his back turned from his younger brother.

Luigi gazed upon his brother and sniffled, his eyes puffy and red.

"It's over," the once-great hero replied sorrowfully.

"Princess Peach Toadstool is dead."


	2. Chapter 2: Hi! I'm

* * *

**Hey guys, here's chapter 2. My OC enters the scene. I hope you enjoy!**

The day Mario and Luigi, the great heros known by all, returned from Bowser's castle without a princess, was the day the Mushroom Kingdom died.

Walking back to Peach's home never felt so lonely for the plumbers. Neither said anything, both trying to comprehend what just occurred.

After what seemed like months, the brothers reached the castle door. Mario and Luigi stiffed at the mere thought of what they had to do next.

"Mario, do we have to tell them?" Luigi said softly, breaking the silence, "I don't want to go in there."

"Neither do I."

The younger sibling hung his head in frustration. Revealing the gruesome fate of their beloved Queen would send the kingdom into despair, but he knew he did not have any other choice. The people needed to know.

Luigi could only let out a gloomy sigh, and nodded to his brother, who opened the door.

The castle did not change since the heros left it. Toads and Koopa alike bustled around the hallways, chattering to each other about one matter or another. Maids gossiped and giggled about the latest rumors while chefs argued about the upcoming meals.

Mario's face scrunched at the sight. Everyone was so peaceful, enjoying life to the fullest and waiting for their ruler, who would never return to them. The Italian plumber was crushed with so many emotions. He failed them. All of his people looked up to him. What would they think of him now?

As Luigi and he stood in the entrance, who should have noticed them, but Daisy, walking with a bounce in her step.

"Hi guys!" she chirped gleefully, "How did it go? Did you defeat Bowser?... Did you blow up the his fortress like last time?! Did you?!"

To her surprise, Daisy got no response. She looked upon the plumbers, her once joyfully face faded into concerned.

"What's...wrong, guys? Where's Peach..."

Daisy instantly knew. Mario's face said it all.

Like a rag-doll, Daisy slumped to the floor, wailing.

"PEACH! OH GOD WHY?!"

That's all it took. With those words, every pair of eyes in the castle turned their thoughts to the broke-down princess.

Luigi knelt down gently and held the bemoaned woman. Mario merely stood there, ready also to collapse on the floor with grief.

"Where's mommy?"

With a jolt, everyone turned their attention to the young heir to the Mushroom Throne, Princess Maria.

Unlike one would think, Maria did not have similar hair or eye color like her parents. In fact the little girl was blessed with a precocious intellect, snowy white hair and vivid amethyst eyes that showed all the innocence in her demeanor. Why she had inherited such curious qualities, no one was sure, but nevertheless, she was welcomed into the world by her parents and her people.

"Maria," the girl's father spoke softly.

Glancing cautiously at everyone in the room, Maria suddenly noticed Daisy crying and rushed over to her.

"Aunt Daisy, what's wrong? Where's my mommy?" the young princess inquired.

The lamenting woman slowly turned her gaze to her beloved niece. Deciding she would break the news to Maria, she chose her words careful and tried to speak in a comforting tone.

"Honey...your mother...is d-dead..." Daisy sniveled, almost on the verge of weeping again.

The next thing Daisy heard was as if someone had thrown cold water on her. Maria's ignorance spilled out in one question.

"What's dead mean?"

No one in the room dared to breathe. Fear and grief prickled their spines. Daisy could only look at the princess with complete shock, not even able to explain the meaning of "death".

With everyone unsure of what to say next, Mario dropped down to his daughter's eye level and looked at her, tears welling up in his own.

"It's means she is never coming back."

It suddenly dawned on Maria. Her face crumpled. Her eyes lost it's beautiful color and instead created small streams that trickled down her cheeks and dripped onto her purple dress.

The red-clad plumber scooped her up and cradled her, tears also cascading down his face.

"I know sweetie, I miss her too.

--

To the Mario family, everything had stopped. Time was nonexistent, and reality was a mere blur. Everyone in the kingdom tried their best so they could give their wonder ruler lasting afterlife and her family some comfort.

King, queens, commoners and everything else in between gathered from distant countries just to say their goodbyes to a young and beautiful woman who never came without a smile.

Even the little princess swore she saw Bowser, or "the monster" as she called him, come to bid farewell to Peach as well, but Mario doubted it. The Koopa King was far too ashamed to show his scaly face anywhere in the Mushroom Kingdom.

The day of the funeral was a miserable one. The unforgiving sky spat out heavy rain since the early morning. Even though many did not bring umbrellas, some were grateful for the soaking weather.

It hid their tears.

Because it was impossible to recover a body, a statue was erected in the middle of the Mushroom Palace Rose garden to serve as a grave. The momentum did her justice, for the beloved Queen was smiling.

Three months came and left. Letting the Mushroom Kingdom and time itself rebuild and start over.

But the real story began here where two unlikely beings crossed paths.

--

Sitting alone on a rock near the castle, the young princess, who just turned five years old, wept softly. Her only friend keeping her company, was a plush Pikachu who merely sat by her side.

While the quiet girl continued to cry, who emerged from the bushes behind her, but Bowser Jr. Upon hearing the sound of something moving, Maria quickly turned her head and stared at the prince. She was about to say hello when the small koopa rushed up, abruptly stole her stuffed pokemon and ran away.

Once again, Maria began to cry, but quickly it turned into sobbing, for her mother made that toy. It was one of the few things she had left to remember her.

The sound of her sadness halted Bowser Junior in his tracks. Guilt rapidly overshadowed the prince's mind. Blowing out a puff of frustration he turned around, and, slowly but surely, the energetic koopa shuffled his feet back to Maria and held out the plushie to her.

"Here."

The shy princess gently brought her face up, exposing her stained cheeks. A look of confusion spread across her countenance, unsure of what to do.

"I don't like dolls. I don't want it," Bowser Junior replied rudely, keeping his eyes on the ground.

Delicately, the young girl took the Pikachu and hugged it.

"...tt-thank...you.."

"Yeah. Whatever."

The koopa child began to walk away until he noticed Maria was about to shed more tears again.

"What's with you? I always see you here, bawlin' your girly eyes out. Did someone steal your cookies or something?"

"My mom died..." the princess replied with a hazy look in her eyes.

Bowser Junior was speechless, trying to make a nasty comeback, but nothing came. Empathy quickly overtook him, for the prince sat next to the depressed girl.

"I kinda know how you feel...I lost my mom too," he stated, an air of apology filled his voice.

Maria's head shot up, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Really? I'm really sorry I shouldn't ha-"

"Don't be," he interrupted, "I never knew her. She apparently passed away before I could crawl."

"Oh..."

Feeling terrible for that he had said and done, Bowser Junior pulled out a beat up bag and opened it. To Maria's surprise it was filled with fresh chocolate chip cookies.

"Want one?" he offered, "I stole them from the kids at day care."

Realizing his kindness, Maria took one and bit it. The chocolate was still gooey.

"Thank you."

--

The once bright blue sky faded into a deep red, and brought the day to an end. Bowser Junior and Maria continued to sit on the rock and talk about whatever came into their minds. As they watched the sun set, Maria realized what time it was.

"It's getting dark," she said, hopping off the rock, "I gotta go."

"Okay," he replied, following her lead, "I probably should too."

"When can we play again?"

The question struck the koopa oddly. At daycare, he never made friends because he always picked on them and stole everything from them. No one ever asked him to play.

Seeing he was unsure Maria cheerfully said, "It was fun talking with you. I want to do it again."

Embarrassed by his stupidity he merely stated, "Oh, I guess we could meet each other here...tomorrow."

"Okay!" she giggled.

She started to walk away, but realized something.

"I'm so silly. I never told you my name. It's Maria!"

"Oh! I'm Bowser Junior," he said with his chest puffed out, "But you can call me Junior."

"Ok!," Maria replied a grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Junior."

* * *

Okay! That was chapter 2! If any of you didn't understand about Daisy's relation with Maria. She _IS_ Maria's aunt. She is married to Luigi and they do have a son who I will introduce in the next chapter. (Maybe) Well what do you think of my OC? I hope she doesn't seem like a Mary Sue. I REALLY don't want that. I'm thinking about revising upcoming chapters just to keep the story flowing. I think the next one will come out soon, but idk. Just wait and see!

Oh, btw, I hope the characters don't seem OOC. I really tried not to do that. ugh...


	3. Chapter 3: I Love You

Hey guys! I re-outlined some chapters. But I HAD to keep this chapter in. (It's important in making their friendship stronger). After this, the next chapter will be where some of the action begins and where I plan to introduce the villain. Enjoy!

* * *

Maria and Bowser Junior practically bonded that very afternoon. There was rarely a day where they did not play with each other. And every time they returned home, they learned a little more about one another. But one day a question was brought up, a question that challenged their very friendship.

"What's you dad like?"

Junior and Maria were sitting on the same rock they sat every time they met. Today, the two chattered about ice hockey and doughnuts. They discovered that both their fathers enjoyed the not the sport, but the sweet dessert which made the young girl bring up such an idea.

A large grin spread across the koopa's face, and in a instant he stood upon the rock, with his chest puffed out.

"My papa is the best! He is _SUPER STRONG_! He's so strong he can move mountains and wrestle sea monsters!"

Upon hearing these words, Maria's eyes opened wider, her mouth agape.

"Whoa. No way!"

"YES!" Junior cried out with delight, "My dad is so amazing he even scares the sun and moon and he's King of the Koopa Kingdom!"

By this point, the little girl's eyes were as large as saucepans. Totally, shocked, she could barely muster out her one word.

"King?"

"Yup," he replied, still standing on the boulder with pride.

"...so you're a prince?"

"Mmhmm."

"THAT'S SO COOL! I'M A PRINCESS TOO!"

Junior gazed at her with complete surprise. Once again, Maria turned him speechless, but he quickly made a comeback.

"Really?"

"Uh huh! My dad is Mario, King of the Mushroom Kingdom! So that makes me a princess!" she giggled happily, "Hey that makes us both royal! Isn't that the best?"

Unfortunately, her joyous announcement stopped because she noticed Junior's grim expression. She couldn't understand why he looked so angry. Instinct took over her and she reached out to comfort him.

"Junior?" she inquired, "What's wrong?"

"Don't touch me."

With that, the frustrated prince pushed Maria to the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. Confusion covered the girl's face and could only ask a mere question.

"...why?"

"Why?!" he yelled, his face turning a bleat red, "WHY!? Our dad are_ enemies_! They have been fighting for a gazillion years! WE CAN BE FRIENDS! WE ARE SUPPOSE TO HATE EACH OTHER!"

Neither of them moved, each were thinking one would say something. Both felt hurt. The one utterly astonished that they were bitter rivals,and the other barely able to understand why he was friends with her in the first place.

Finally, the white-hair child stood up, a serious look covered her crushed feelings from within. She gazed at koopa for a moment before she spoke.

"I can't hate you, Junior."

"Why not?!" he replied bitterly.

"Because...I love you."

Utterly speechless, spiked prince froze, unsure of how to reply. Only one person in his life told him that he was loved, and that was his father. His _father_. Maria was far from his father, but he could not say the same thing he would usually reply to his father.

"_I love you too, papa."_

He did not love Maria...or did he? That truly scared Junior, and Bowser Junior _hated_ being scared.

Embarrassment hugged his face. Maria saw this and tried to walk closer to him.

Then everything tumbled out all at once.

"I HATE YOU! DON'T YOU DARE COME NEAR ME!"

It was as if someone had smacked the little girl in the face. Immediately, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she buried them in her hands. The koopa backed away slowly. Afraid to say anything more, he bolted, leaving the crushed princess to cry.

--

Daisy was enjoying the afternoon. A beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. The youthful queen sat peacefully and ate with her husband, Luigi, and her brother-in-law.

The three were discussing plans for a kart tournament when suddenly Daisy was interrupted by a small child grabbing her skirt and softly sobbing.

It was Maria.

Both Mario and Luigi stood in up, fearing the worse.

"Maria, you okay? Did someone hurt you?" her uncle asked, his voice filled with concern.

The little girl shook her head.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" The well dressed lady said, picking her niece up, "Why are you crying?"

The princess stifled her tears for a moment, everyone leaned in to hear.

"My friend doesn't like me!" Maria sobbed and buried her head into her aunt's chest.

Daisy softly smiled and hugged the princess back gently. Cupping the girl's face, the queen kissed her forehead in an effort to comfort her.

"Let's take a walk, honey."

--

Being well tended, the Royal Mushroom Rose Garden bloomed with stunning color. Even though it was called a rose garden, the Mario family imported exotic flowers and trees. Daisy decided this would be a perfect place for a stroll and lead the way.

"So you and your friend got into a fight. You tried to make it better by telling him you loved him, but he ran away angry. Did I get that all?" Daisy said, making sure she tried to understand the girl's situation.

Maria nodded slowly, trying to suppress the urge to cry again.

The free-spirited queen spoke again, "Do you want to tell me the reason you were fighting and who is the friend is?"

The princess with amethyst eyes immediately shook her head. Knowing that her family and Junior's family fought, she did not want to get the koopa prince nor herself in trouble.

"Okay, fair enough," her aunt chuckled.

"What is love?"

Daisy halted. Sitting on both knees she took her niece's hands and held them gently.

"Love is..." she stated, trying to think where to begin, "Love is a feeling you have for a person deep in your heart. If you love someone, you want to make them happy because somehow it makes you happy. Love makes you do anything for them."

"Even die?"

The queen felt her muscles tense for a moment.

"...yes even that," she barely choked out.

"Did my mom love me?" the young girl asked with a grave face.

Daisy froze and stared at her before quickly hugging her with all her might. The two remained in that position before, the queen spoke again.

"Oh Maria," she began, tears forming in her eyes, "Yes, she loved you so much. She would have done anything you Maria."

"Anything."

--

Bowser sat upon his throne with content. His entire day was boring, but peaceful. While he usually enjoyed the loud noise that would thunder through his halls, he did not mind the occasional silence.

As the king pondered these thoughts, his magical assistant, Kammy burst into the throne room.

"Sire," she started, "I believe there is something wrong with your son, Junior."

Bowser broke from his daydreaming to respond, "Hm? Like what?"

"Well when I asked him to clean his room, he did."

"What?!" Bowser rumbled. Whenever someone other than his father gave Junior an order, he would argue and carry on until his dad arrived at the scene.

"No tantrums?"

"No."

"No screaming?"

"No."

"No name-calling!?"

"Nothing, Your Rudeness."

"Hmm," Bowser paused for a moment, "I'll look into it."

Lying on the floor of his room, Junior quietly scribbled on a once blank piece of paper. As he continued drawing what looked like a crab holding a cookie, he felt a shadow loom over him.

"Hi dad," he stated without even batting an eye.

The king sat next to his son noticing that he did not seem remotely excited about his picture he was coloring. The two remained where they were, not saying anything. All that could be heard was the movement of crayons.

"Junior you okay?" Bowser finally said.

Junior said nothing, but stared at his paper.

Taking that as a bad sign, Bowser gently picked up his son and leaned him against his chest. Junior did not refuse the gesture, but simply lied there, gazing into space.

"What's wrong, big guy?" the koopa asked again.

After a long, awkward pause, the small prince spoke.

"Dad, there is this girl..."

"Junior say no more."

The young koopa looked at his papa, wondering if he knew everything. Bowser smiled and though to himself, "_My little guy has a crush. No wonder he has been blue! I bet she told him how she felt. My little boy is growing up!_"

"Junior, when you love someone you feel it."

"But papa, what if you aren't sure?"

"Then give it time. You'll come up with an answer."

Bowser smiled softly and patted his son on the head.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out."

--

The day shifted into a dark night. Everyone in both Kingdoms snuggled into their beds, waiting for another morning to rise.

Though, there was one person who did not wish for anything, but to have her old friend back. Princess Maria was curled up in her bed and stared at her balcony door, wanting to reverse time and apologize for everything. Hoping that she could see her friend again and try to make everything better, she continued to look as if by some chance he would come to greet her.

Today seemed so lonely and boring, she felt so miserable.

As she gazed at her white clock across the room, her eyelids began to get heavier, but flashed open when she heard a noise. She recognized the sound and her heart began to pound.

"Junior?"

"Darn it."

The shocked but curious princess sat up in bed and looked upon the koopa who stood at the door's entrance.

"Why are you here?" she asked uncomfortably.

"Cuz..."

An awkward pause hung in the air. Both continued to stare until Maria broke eye contact and glanced upon her balcony once more.

Hugging her knees, she whispered, "I'm sorry about today."

"Maria..I..."

"I don't think I love you," she said, interrupting him, "But I want to be friends. Junior, I can't hate you."

"THAT'S NO FAIR!" the prince barked. Maria shrunk back into her bed afraid of what she would hear next, but she discovered a nice surprise instead.

"You took what I was gonna say."

The princess only giggled in reply. Bowser Junior said nothing, but stared at his feet.

"Soooo," she said, inching closer to the edge of her bed.

"So?" he replied crossing his arms against his chest and closing his eyes.

"Are we friends?"

With one eye open, he koopa prince smirked, "Yeah. I'll always be there for ya."

* * *

Well there ya go! Chapter 3! Sorry, I needed to put in this chapter before I started the action. It was essential to their friendship though I felt this chapter was pretty weak. I wasn't really big on the Bowser and son conversation either. Oh well. Tell me what you think! Next Chapter: A New Character and the Villain appear! (Oh side note, it may be a little before Chapter 4, I'll try to work on it as much as I can.)

King Boo22


	4. Chapter 4: Peekaboo!

Alright Chapter 4! WOO HOO! Like I promised, I'm finally starting the plot. XD Actually if I hadn't cut out the other chapters, I would have started the story on Chapter 8...yeah. So I decided to revise my story in order to keep my readers interested and move along a little faster. I'm not sure exactly how long this story is gonna be. Possibly 22 chapters, more or less. Well enough about ranting onto the story!

( Important: there is a race scene. The race course I'm using is Rainbow Road from Mario Kart Wii. I'm also using kart references to describe the kart. (cuz I'm terrible at describing cars.) That way there is no confusion)

Oh, I do not own Mario or the other Nintendo characters. Just Maria, and Luciano. (I totally wished I owned Bowser Junior! I love him. So cute. lol)

* * *

It was a glorious day. The sun was shining and puffy clouds floated through the sapphire sky.

It was a perfect for a kart race.

Through Toad Town was usually busy on such days, no one was seen walking around. Why? Because every koopa, toad and goomba was packed in stands at Rainbow Road to watch a truly epic event.

Princess Maria and Bowser Junior were racing to win the Grand Prix.

And _no one_ would be foolish enough to miss this competition between to warring kingdoms.

--

Far above the Mushroom Planet, the glistening race course floated, awaiting its next tournament. Over the years, the competition became more intense; therefore, the colorful road was remodeled several times each more challenging then the last. Twists and turns decorated the stage, and even some of the barriers were removed to give racers an edge.

This was where the final match would begin.

Above the starting line, a large screen levitated, allowing the audiences to watch the racers' every movement. On the sidelines were two stands on opposing sides.

One for the Mushroom Kingdom.

One for the Koopa Kingdom.

Crammed together, people on both sides, squeezed and slipped their way into any available seating they could find. Finally when there was barely any room left, people jumped upon one another's shoulders just to make room and get a better view. While everyone tried to make themselves comfortable, vendors stood up and sold snacks, secretly grinning at all the cash they were making. As the each kingdom settled down, the competitors made their preparations.

Both racers stood inside the stands waiting to make their entrance, but before they came out the mechanics doubled checked their karts.

"Get a spare tire!" one koopa shouted.

"How's the air pressure value? I need more fuel!" another barked.

"Hotdog! No mustard!"

Suddenly a young boy came over to purple motorcycle which belonged to young the princess. The green clad man glanced over anything and questioned the engineers.

"Everything in order?" he asked.

"Yes Luciano, full tank of gas, new tires and all wires had been tripled checked," a toad mechanic replied.

"Excellent."

This lean, green boy was Maria's cousin. Once glance at him, and many though they were looking at Luigi, his father. But if one paid attention to his features, they would notice his unique hair and sharp eyes, traits he received from his mother, Daisy. Two years older than she, Luciano was a big brother to her. He protected his fragile cousin any way he could. Since he was an expert in car engineering, he constantly assisted Maria in her races, making sure she would win.

Luciano glanced over everything once last time before giving the thumbs up to Lakitu who then turned on his microphone to let everyone they were starting.

"Gooooooooooood day!" He rang, "Is everyone ready?!"

The crowds whooped and hollared in excitement.

"Alright then! Let me introduce our two finalists! On my right, I have the representative from the Koopa Kingdom, Prince Bowser Koopa Junior!"

Through the entrance at the bottom of the stands came Junior himself. Twelve years passed by since he met his best friend Maria. With those many years, Junior became the splitting image of his father. His hair flared a ruby red, yet a bang was flipped over and slightly covered his right eye, and to top it off, the prince's bandana which once fit around his neck, now covered his left arm.

Junior turned to his people and suddenly gave a loud triumphant roar. Looking at every person in his audience, he caught the eye of someone dear to him.

His father.

Time had affected Bowser as well, for the Great Koopa King now had grey streaks and looked as if he was on the verge of wrinkles and showing a potbelly.

The father and son meet each other eyes, and the old koopa simply smirked, showing that he wished his youngest child good luck.

Upon Junior's boast, every minion stood up and cried out, shouting their successor's name while the opposing side remained silent, not even giving the young koopa the satisfaction of a "boo!"

"Now, I give you our other racer," Lakitu continued, "She is the beloved princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. The Benevolent Maria Mario!"

Even before the young girl made the scene, her audience broke out into a chant, screaming her name. This way, she could not hear her rivals shout anything that might discourage her.

The once ignorant child had blossomed into an elegant and intelligent princess. Everyone in her kingdom agreed that she was the perfect combination of her father and her mother. She had her mother's looks, yet she barely stood five feet tall. A trait she inherited from Mario. Though the dwarf teenage still had her purple eyes, and snowy hair, she no longer looked like a child. She had filled in,and now had a face that shined of pure beauty. Normally Maria would wear a stunning amethyst dress, but today she dressed in a purple jacket, black slacks, and boots, matching her top.

Maria was ready to race.

When both prince and princess and had settled into their karts, Lakitu made an important announcement.

"Since this is the final race and there are only two racers, a change will be made."

The each side muttered, wondering what could possibly be different.

"To increase the difficulty, the BoIR (Board of International Racing) has decided to make it one lap instead of three."

Both sides exploded in excitement! A sudden, but intriguing challenge. Giving their representatives hope, everyone chanted and cheered on.

Maria and Junior could only look at their people with reassurance.

Finally after the noise settled down, Lakitu finished, "That being said. Let's begin! Drivers are you ready?"

The two teenagers nodded.

With that, Lakitu summoned his light signals and hung it over the starting line.

"Racers start your engine."

With a click, the karts rumbled to life, growling to zoom away,

Lakitu flicked on his lights. Looking at both contestants, he raised his hand, holding up three fingers.

Everyone sat on the edge of their seat, holding their breath.

3.

Junior who sat in his fire-painted car glanced over at Maria who also sat nervously on her lavender motorcycle.

2.

Maria glanced at Junior.

1.

Giving him the rudest glare.

"GOOOOOOOOO!!" Lakitu hollered.

All that could be heard was the screeching off wheels and sound of engines.

Everyone jumped into another fit of amusement.

Bursting at full speed, Maria and Junior sped down starry hill only to be blasted upward onto another track, each holding their first item.

Having caught a mushroom, Junior rushed around the corner to a wobbling track only to be blown out of the way with a red shell thrown by Maria.

Passing the shifting waves, the princess raced into the figure eight point, keeping in mind the rough koopa was hot on her heels. She was about to grab another item when suddenly everything went black. Maria gripped her hand brakes and wiped away what appeared to be Blooper ink.

"Junior," she mumbled angrily, feeling the rush of his kart swiftly pass her.

With that she pushed on the gas and chased Junior down.

Almost immediately she caught sight of his kart and rushed forward into the Rainbow Cannon which shot the two across the track.

Now, neck and neck, they raced through the Star Bit Tunnel and came to the split track.

Both went left.

This was the last length of the race. They rushed through the last item and drove through another glowing tunnel.

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see their weapons.

Junior glared at the princess evilly.

He had a red shell.

The koopa kingdom began to laugh, realizing victory was near, but suddenly noticed the girl's bizarre expression.

She was grinning maliciously too.

Confused and surprised by this reaction, the koopa racer raised his shell in an attempt to throw it, but stopped and gazed in horror at Maria's item.

She held the Invincible Star.

With a wave of her hand, Maria illuminated every color of the rainbow and instantly barged her motorcycle against Junior, shoving him over the race track, and gliding across the finish line.

Princess Maria won.

Words could not describe how the Mushroom Kingdom felt. Everyone's heart brimmed with happiness and wanted to show it every way possible.

Triumphantly, the rejoicing girl stepped off her kart, only to be scooped up onto her cousin's shoulders. She merely waved her arms in pride.

After Lakitu rescued Junior from his dreadful fate, he rolled miserably across the finish line. Even though he had lost, his father and his minions clapped and cheered for him. It had been an exciting race.

"Well done," Bowser said, patting his son on his shell.

"But I lost, dad," Junior replied sorrowfully.

"Eh. Just because you lost a race, doesn't mean you can't kick her ass," He snickered.

"Excuse me..."

Both koopas turned around to see none other than Princess Maria, standing there shyly.

"What do you want?" The king sneered menacingly.

Ignoring the comment, the small girl extended her hand.

"Good job, today," She said politely, "It was a tough race."

Pondering the thought for a moment, Junior lethargically shook hands.

"Yeah. But I'll get you next time," He smirked.

"We'll see about that."

Then she walked away calmly, and continued to converse with her cousin who now questioned her sudden actions.

"Snooty bitch," Bowser cursed under his breath, and stomped away.

Junior did nothing to response, but merely opened the hand that he just shook with Maria. There was a note in it.

_Meet me at Shroom Hill, 12:30 sharp._

It was Maria's handwriting.

--

"Goodnight, daddy," the cheerful princess said while kissing her father on the cheek.

Mario, in his old age, remained short and round as a meatball. Except for the wrinkles in his forehead and the grey streaks poking out of his hat, the Italian plumber had not changed.

"Nite, my little cannoli ," he replied, pulling her into a big hug, "Wonderful job today. Your mom would-a been a proud."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me, dad."

--

Turning off her lights, Maria snuggled into her periwinkle sheets, waiting patiently for her clock to strike midnight.

By the time, her watch read "11:55", the mischievous girl stood in her usual violet attire, quietly opening the door to her balcony.

As she creeped softly to side so that she would slip out unnoticed, a hand grabbed her from behind making her gasp loudly.

"Well, look what I found. A princess! Whatever shall I do with her?" the voice whispered.

"Junior," the princess sighed with relief, "I told you to me there! Not to pick me up!"

"Well excuuuuse me!," he snorted, keeping his voice low, "I thought you would appreciate your boyfriend picking you up. Hell of a lot easier to get there."

Maria giggled, "Junior..." and pulled him into a hug.

The couple stood there for a moment, enjoying their touch.

"Come on. Let's go," the devious kidnapper stated with a grin.

After scaling down the castle (With help from Junior, of course) they snuck across the outer courtyard and into a nearby forest where the Koopa Copter laid. Once they were out of sight, Maria climbed up onto Junior's right shoulder and sat comfortably leaning on his head, to which made Junior blush.

"Wait...Junior, this isn't the way to Shroom Hill," she said, noticing they were headed in the opposite direction.

"Who said we were going to there?"

"So that's why you picked me up. Jerk."

The koopa merely stuck out his tongue in response.

--

"Alright now no peeking," the prince gleefully stated, while covering the eyes of his girlfriend.

"Junior, I know we're at the beach."

"Who the hell told you?"

"The waves."

"Waves don't talk, Maria."

"No, I hear them."

"Oh."

After releasing his hand from her face, Junior led her to a small alcove under a cliff. There they sat enjoying the breeze of the ocean and the beautiful full moon in the sky.

"Happy Anniversary," he whispered pulling her closer.

"Same to you," she replied before closing the space between their lips.

--

"I told you not to get me a gift!," the stubborn princess protested, "You never let me get you one!"

"That's because there are only two things I want from you on special occasions," he replied,

"1. I just love having you by my side. I don't need material things."

"2. You make damn good food. So I consider your cooking a gift. Speaking of which..."

Maria simply rolled her eyes, and teleported a basket onto her lap.

Opening it, she said, "I didn't bring much. Just some Koopa buns, bottles of water, left over shroom roast... and a cake."

"Sounds good to me," he answered, taking a roll out a biting it.

"...do you remember when I first showed you my psychic powers?" the girl asked slowly.

"Of course how could I forget?" he replied, munching on his food, "It's not hard to remember a small girl bending a spoon with her mind."

"_Hey Junior, can I show you something?" Maria asked quietly._

"_Sure! Does it evolve cookies?"_

"_Not really."_

"_Aww...alright, I guess you can."_

"_Okay..."_

_The young child pulled out a spoon and placed it on the ground._

"_Wow. A spoon. I have a ton of those at my house."_

"_Hold on. ...just watch."_

_Stretching her hand over the spoon, Maria closed her eyes, and suddenly the utensil lifted off the earth! The koopa prince stared wide eyed at what was happening. Then with a flick of her hand, the spoon curled and twisted into a worthless form and fell._

"_Whoa...Maria..."_

"_I'm sorry if I scared y-"_

"_THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME! DO IT AGAIN"_

"_Really?" she said, her eyes gleamed with surprise._

"_Yeah!I loved it!_

"Believe it or not I was extremely jealous. I wanted to bend spoons too," he laughed, but switched to a serious look, "Why do you ask?"

"I have just been thinking about what other would think if I told them," she said quietly, sadness filled her voice.

Junior gently curled an arm around her, "Don't worry about what others think. You have your family and you also have me. You don't need anyone else."

The princess, in response, returned the one arm hug.

"Ok," she whispered.

Finishing off his fourth Koopa bun and half of the shroom roast, Junior pulled out a small box from his shell.

"Alright, now for my present," the prince grinned happily.

"But Junior I-"

"No but's I want you to have this. It would be an insult not to accept it."

Maria simply sighed, acknowledging defeat. Junior held the gift before her and opened it. All he heard was a gasp that escaped his girlfriend's lips.

In the box was a simple, but stunning necklace with a single star in the middle. It reminded her faintly of the item she used to defeat Junior that very afternoon.

"...t-this is beautiful..." the princess whispered, suppressing the urge to cry.

"Glad you like. Can I put it on?" he replied a twinkle sparkled in his eyes.

The princess, overcome with joy, merely nodded.

With the slip of his claws, the jewelry hugged Maria's neck.

"Oh I forget to add something else to my list of _Why-you-don't-need-to-give-me-anything_," the prince said softly.

"What is that?" the enthusiastic damsel inquired.

Cupping her face the eager koopa stated, "Your kisses."

"Oh," she giggled, leaning forward.

Something stopped the moment between the two because Maria instantly placed her hand in front of her face.

"What's wrong?" Junior froze, realizing her darkened expression.

"My father's here."

"On shore?" the prince asked miserably.

"No, but he's brough half of the navy with him."

The koopa's heart began to race, knowing her father was here could only mean one thing, and it didn't have a happy outcome.

Then Junior caught a scent and recognized it instantly. He always knew that smell every since he was a child, permanently recorded into his mind.

Bowser was here too.

"I guess my dad was pissed about the race and decided to do something about it. Damn bastard," the koopa prince grunted.

"Your dad's here too?"

"Of course, who else would come to attack half of a Kingdom's navy?"

Maria was ready to cry all over again although not for the same reason.

Every since that argument at the tennis tournament, both kingdom went into a serious war.

Only five months after Peach's death, Mario decided to hold a Tennis Competition in the Peach Dome. The Mushroom King even invited Bowser, trying to prove he was ready to move on and began anew. But instead of peacemaking the ruthless tyrant exploded upon Mario blaming him for everything that had ever happened between them, including Peach's death. That had been the last straw, and both kingdoms declared a war. But unlike most wars, each side wanted to wipe away the other, leaving no survivors.

Twelve years later, both kingdoms continued to battle, leaving Bowser Junior and Maria no choice but to keep their relationship a secret.

A drop of water hit the cheek of the amthyst princess, but it dawned on her it was not raining.

"Shoot," she cursed to herself.

Wiping away the tears, a gentle claw stroked the girl's crumpled face.

"Let's go before they see us," Junior murmured.

As they walked up to the top of the hill where the koopa copter was, the couple heard paratroopas walking by.

"Dammit," the koopa whispered, "My dad has the place scanned for toadies. We can't lift off here they'll see us."

"What are we going to do?" she asked nervously.

"Come on, we'll walk through the woods to your place."

"But what about the copter?"

"I'll camouflage it. Don't worry."

With that, Romeo and Juliet rushed into Boo Woods, not even considering the possible danger that lurked within it.

--

The dark trees with ever-following eyes did not help the tense feelings Maria and Junior were already harboring. Ever so often Maria would a noise, and grip Junior's arm tighter which did not make it any better. Rumors about these spooky woods never were cheerful ones, and everything about this place gave him the creeps. But the valiant koopa stood strong never letting on to his girlfriend that he was more that jumpy.

_Rustle._

"Junior, I heard something."

"Relax. It was probably just a squirrel or something."

_Snap._

"...Junior, are we any closer to my place?"

The prince patted her arm, "We're about half way there. I don't know what's so scary about these woods. There are really not that bad. I think I would even build a summer home here."

Maria chuckled, even in the darkest moments her boyfriend would find some way to crack a joke.

"Boo."

The couple froze, all that could be heard was the heavy breathing of one another and the feel of their hearts pouding. Stricken with fear neither dare to move, hoping what they heard was just he wind.

"...w-was that you?" the princess asked, fretfully.

"...I thought it was you," he responded, every moment becoming more terrifying than the last.

"Die."

Junior and Maria bolted, racing across the forest floor, panic searing through their minds. They did not look back. They were NOT going to look back. Hoping that whoever that was did not follow them, the pair sprinted with all their mighty.

_Thump._

Twisting her ankle upon a tree root, Maria's face smacked into the moist earth. She cried out in pain as she tried to move her foot. Junior halted in his tracks and picked her, but something stopped him.

They were surrounded by snickering Boos.

"For bitter rivals, you two look pretty lovey-dovey if you ask me," a voice hissed.

The horrified koopa back away slowly fearing the being who stood before him.

King Boo.

"What the hell do you want?! Let us alone!" Junior barked trying to hide the terror in his eyes.

"Such big words for a small boy. Why don't you run along and play with your cannons," the king said, speaking with a sibilant as he talked, "Just need a moment with Maria."

"Like hell you do. Don't even think of touching her."

"No, no, quite the contrary. I only wish to speak to her, to ask something of great importance."

"Like?"

A deadly and malicious grin spread across the ghost's pale face.

"Where is Peach's body?"

* * *

Okay! Finally Chapter 4 ended! Oh my gosh I thought this chapter would never end! I'm sorry it took so long! Actually I planned to make this chapter a little longer, but I realized I could work it into the next one. And I apologize for the short race scene, but I'm terrible when it comes to that. XD Tell me how Maria is because this is the first time you see some really interaction between Junior and other people. I don't want her to be Mary Sue. (As I have stated before) Tell me what you think. It may be awhile for Chapter 5 because I need to throughly plan it out. (I don't want it to be boring).


	5. Chapter 5: Angel's Lullaby

Hey, guys sorry it took a little bit for this chapter. I wasn't really in the mood to write this one. I don't like this chapter because I feel it's kinda boring, but it's important to the plot. So ONWARD!

No, I don't own Junior or any other Mario characters. I just own this delicious doughnut I bought. Yum!

* * *

Fear was not the only thing running through Maria's mind.

Standing on her balcony, the shaken princess clung dearly to her boyfriend's arm. The duo had escaped the clutches of the ghostly king because Junior, as the attackers closed in, scared them with a flashlight he had. Light was not a boo's friend.

Finally dashing out of the forest, the couple came upon the familiar Mushroom Castle, and felt their hearts beating at a normal pace.

Confusion, that was the first thing that came to her. Why had King Boo asked such a question?

"_Where is Peach's body?"_

Even thinking of his hissing voice gave Maria the creeps. Everyone knew how her mother had died. Everyone! To fathom why he asked such a bizarre question, Maria could not comprehend. Even more confusing was Junior's expression when the undead king inquired the whereabouts. It was shock. Pure shock. Yet his eyes told another story because those flaming jewels said they knew exactly what King Boo was talking about.

Maria did not bother with asking Junior. She realized if Junior had something to say, he would say it. The koopa prince also recognized the fact that her mother meant everything to her so keeping something important a secret, like her body, was highly out of the question.

Pain seared through her ankle. The princess crouched in agony. Trouble was the next thing. She had twisted her ankle. Maybe even broken it! She could not even begin to think of an excuse on how she hurt herself.

"You okay?" The gentle koopa asked, picking her up.

"...my ankle..."she cringed, trying to remain calm.

With a wave of his arm, the pain dispersed.

"How about that?" he questioned her again.

"Much better. Thank you, "she said quietly.

"It's still slightly bruised," he said while standing her on her feet, "But you'll be able to walk around without a limp."

Maria merely smiled and hugged him in response.

A long silence hung in the air before either of them spoke. Each of them knew what happened after the sun rose. Both their fathers would come home, exhausted and angry about the recent battle. Because of their tension, neither Maria nor Junior were not allowed out of their sight even if they were doing ordinary things. This would be their final moment for awhile.

"Will you get in trouble for coming home so late?" the princess whispered.

"Nah. My dad won't come home till who knows when, and everyone else in the castle doesn't care when I get in. It's all good." the lighthearted koopa replied with a large grin.

"Alright..."she responded softly and turned to her bedroom.

"You want me to stay here? To make sure those boos done come back?" the prince quickly asked, noticing Maria's uneasiness. "Don't worry about me. I'll make up an excuse for my dad."

The tired princess simply spun around and winked flirtatiously, "I'll be fine. I have my own flashlight," but her face softened for a second, "Thank you though."

Blowing a kiss, Maria walked quietly into her room and closed the door, leaving the prince to scale down the wall.

After walking into a small alcove, far away from the Mushroom Palace, Junior snapped his fingers and summoned the koopa copter. With a mere jump, the koopa flew away to his home, hoping his father did not arrive early.

--

"Gooooooooood morning princess!!"

"Please, Toadette, I'm very tired. Three more minutes?"

"Nope! Big day today! There is so much to do!"

Pulling off the covers, the bubbly servant pushed the very tired Maria into her dressing room to start her day.

After choosing an simple purple dress, the princess sat down at her dresser so her maid could fix the white disaster everyone called her hair.

As the tiresome girl patiently sat, Toadette chatted about the plans for that day.

"Well, Toadsworth wants you to study because the Duke of the Chill Chill Land is coming. Then you have that cooking lesson... I'm also fitting you for your dress. OH! Then you have a rehearse of the Musicalalala Hall for festival! Is that wonderful?! I can't believe it's only two weeks away!"

Every year , the Mushroom Kingdom would celebrate the enjoyment of music by creating some! People from across the land would come and join the entertainment. Since it was the two-hundredth year, Maria decided to perform herself. Because of this sudden news, the organizers were expecting the festival to be twice as large!

"Mhmm," the princess merely replied, her mind seemed to be on other matters.

The maid simply continued brushing her until Maria spoke.

"Will my father be joining me for breakfast?"

For a moment, Toadette froze, unsure of how to respond. Slowly she formed a fake smile and starting brushing once more.

"Maria...about your father... Well you see he went out last night an-"

"How badly is he injured?" the now irritable princess snapped.

"He just bruised his arm while fighting, but the doctors don't want anything else to happen so he's resting for awhile, "the servant said, rushing to finish her explanation, "But Luciano is here!"

The princess said nothing, but frowned and closed her eyes in frustration.

"Maria, please try to understand," Toadette began, "Your father is doing a great thing. He is protecting the honor of your mother!"

Maria's head shot up.

"Honor? What honor?!" she barked, turning around and glaring menacingly at Toadette, "This is a game for them! All they want to do is blame each other! This war is pointless!"

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Toadette was afraid she would incur Maria's wrath again and Maria simply did not speak because of her angry.

"Tell Luciano, I'll be down in five minutes," the girl finally muttered turning around to face her mirror.

"But my lady, I think he wants you no-"

"_Five minutes_, Toadette."

"Five minutes..." the maid mumbled, sluggishly closing the door on her way out.

Maria sighed. She felt a headache coming on.

--

Junior yawned miserably.

"Only four hours of sleep," he groaned.

The koopa prince could have slept for another three, before a servant would awaken him, but he could not go back to sleep.

His father was home.

Complaining was all Bowser ever did those days. Complaining and eating. Twelve years ago, the king thought he would defeat Mario epically and annihilate the Mushroom Kingdom, now Bowser was sick of seeing the Italian plumber and honestly wanted nothing with him or his land. But there was no way, the koopa could back out of this fight. His reputation would be destroyed.

Sighing, Junior rolled off his bed and grabbed his shell. He knew his dad would heckle him at breakfast for waking up late. Sleeping was not an option.

As the prince stomped through the halls, hearing his father's rough voice, he muttered quietly to himself.

"I hope Maria's day is better than this."

If only he knew.

--

Boredom was clearly an understatement to Maria.

The lonely princess sat miserably in the palace library. As Toadsworth had stated Maria needed to study "etiquette of the Chill Chill Land", as he so lovely called it, to make sure she would not insult the visiting duke.

Maria only wished she could roll her eyes at her grumpy steward.

Not even glancing at the pages, Maria tried to occupy herself for the next hour until Toadette would save her from her dull fate.

Her eyes wandered around the room while her fingers twiddled with thin air until they caught something.

Her necklace.

Maria had not taken it off since morning. Holding it delicately, she admired its beauty.

"Junior," she whispered.

The girl closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair.

"I miss him," she thought, "It hasn't even been a day!"

Daydreaming, her mind drifted even further.

_What if I told someone about him? What would they do?_

Trying to imagine a reaction, the princess's thoughts were broken by a faint knock.

"Come in, Toadette."

--

"GODDAMMIT!"

Junior threw his wrench down in frustration. After an irritating breakfast with his father, the prince had nothing else to do. With his father around, Junior was not allowed outside the castles boundaries. Of course, this never went over well for the koopa because everything he enjoyed was beyond the castle. However, since he did not want to incur his father's wrath, the prince usually practiced magic or played around with some mechanics. But today was different. For some reason or another, Junior desperately wanted the Koopa Kopter to be up and running with a new invention.

Unfortunately, it was not going well.

Taking his rag, the prince wiped his face clean of the oil that had -once again- sprayed his face.

"There must be a leak," he mumbled to himself.

As he picked up his wrench, his stomach grumbled.

"Damn, I'm hungry. I guess I'll go bug the chefs."

He left everything out because he knew no one would need the repair dock at that moment, and he was far too lazy to put everything away.

When he finally found a chef and requested lunch, he frowned at the meal that was being prepared.

Fried mushrooms.

Since two years ago went Bowser had decided to ration food, every meal in the castle, was mushrooms. No steaks, no chickens, not even cheep-cheeps! No, just mushrooms. The thought of another fungus plate made Junior sick. Because of another disgusting lunch, the prince did not even grunt a thanks to the servant who brought him the dish. He just stared pathetically at the food, praying it would disappear.

"I need Maria's cooking."

--

"I'm sorry."

"Beg your pardon, princess?"

"About my outburst today...I apologize...I'm sorry I threw my anger at you. It's not your fault. You didn't start the war."

Maria and Toadette stood in the tailor's room, designing the princess's outfit for the festival. While the maid measured the girl, both remained quiet, the tension still hung from that morning.

"Oh, Maria," the maid replied pulling her princess and her friend into a hug, "Don't be so formal. We're friends. Remember? Besides, I realize this war is frustrating to you. We both have our own opinions. I'm sorry I forced mine onto you."

"Look who's being formal now," Maria giggled.

"Maria, that necklace is beautiful!"

"Excuse me?"

Her enthusiastic servant pointed to the star piece jewelry which grasped the girl's neck. The princess did not hide the necklace, not even considering the possibility of someone noticing it.

Without even thinking, Maria blurted out the first thing that came to her.

"My boyfriend gave it to me."

Upon realizing what she had just stated, Maria froze in horror.

At that very moment, everyone throughout the castle heard a monstrous squeal which they assumed was from Toadette.

"BOYFRIEND!?"

The excited servant proceeded to ask a series of personal questions to which she got no answers. The princess only replied that she would reveal this mysterious stranger in due time.

"I'm not sure telling my father about him, would help the situation with the war," Maria meekly stated, "I don't want my dad to worry about me."

"Alright, so I guess we have to keep this a secret?" Toadette chimed.

"If that's ok with you."

"It's fine by me as long as you are safe and he treats you well."

"Yes, Jun- he makes sure I'm not in trouble and whatnot. I'm okay."

"Ok," the maid said with a wink.

--

Maria yawned and stretched on her balcony. Though her day was boring, the rehearsal was not terrible, but she wished she could sing on her own time. Dinner, however, was dreadful simply because once again her father had not joined her. Apparently he was too "sick" to eat with his own daughter or even let her see him, yet the secretary of war was allowed to visit him.

Thinking of that made Maria's blood boil.

To cheer herself up, the princess grabbed her necklace, thinking of the one thing she would love to see again.

"Junior..."

"Yes?"

Maria would have fallen over if a large hand had not grabbed hold of her.

"You startled me! Don't do that!" she yelled at Junior who now stood on her balcony .

Then she realized suddenly, "What are you doing here?! Anybody could see you!"

"Excuse me! I'm was just dropping by for something important. I thought you would like to see me, and FYI, no they can't. I'm invisible."

"Really?" the princess asked in surprise.

"Yup, just installed it this morning on the koopa kopter. No one can hear or see me."

"Oh that's good."

"Yeah."

Before either of them could say another word, Maria embraced her boyfriend.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"Same here," he replied, "How was your day?"

"Boring. How about you?"

"Terrible! I missed your cooking."

The princess giggled and hugged him even tighter than before.

"I heard you singing today."

"Really?" she asked, looking up at Junior.

"Yeah, could put me to sleep, and I mean that in a good way. It's like...something an angel would sing."

Blushing Maria kissed the prince's cheek, her way of saying thank you.

"So, what did you come by for?"

"Oh yeah!" Junior cried out, remembering why he came, "Last night you didn't kiss me!"

"Excuse me?" A look of confusion spread across the princess's face.

"I gave you a beautiful necklace, and I didn't get a thank you! What's wrong with you?"

"Junior, you idiot," Maria said before bursting into a fit of laugh, "Is that all you came here for?"

"That and just to see you again. My dad was boring the hell out of me."

"Ok, I'll thank you for the necklace,"she winked.

--

Wind rushed past Junior's ear. The prince assured Maria he could stay no longer than five minutes for fear of angering his father. With a simple kiss, the koopa jumped into the kopter and flew away. Seeing Maria again made Junior feel better out his day.

"At least, it ended on a good note," he thought to himself.

"How about we end it on an even better note."

The Koopa Klown Kopter came to a smashing halt. Taking a deep breath, Junior glanced all around. Seeing there was no one, he tried to continue onward.

"Hello again."

"What the hell do you want, you dead bastard," the prince roared.

"Now that's no way to talk to royalty," King Boo hissed, appearing before the koopa's eyes.

"Go to hell."

"Been there and done that."

"Then leave me alone!"

"I'm afraid not. I have a very important plan and... your assistance is required," the ghost replied with a malicious grin.

With that, a green energy beam poured forth from King Boo's hand and blasted onto Junior, sending the prince flying.

"Have fun with that princess."

--

Everything became a blur to Junior. He barely saw anything around him. He wasn't even sure if he was still in the air. The only thing the koopa recognized was the unbearably pain that throbbed in his right arm, the exact spot where King Boo had fired.

Then everything went black.

After what seemed like eternity, Junior opened his eyes and tried to stand up.

But two things stopped him.

He was covered in blood, and he had crash-landed into his father's castle.

Junior collapsed again.

* * *

Ok! Chapter 5 is done! I'm really sorry it took so long, but I have been busy and I didn't like writing this chapter. It will be awhile before Chapter 6 (I need to finish other things.) So don't get your hopes up. The next chapter some action will start and hopefully some drama. XD Stay tune!


	6. Chapter 6: Might of the Opera

Hey guys! I'm sorry that I took so long to put up Chapter 6! I'll try to be to quicker with Chapter 7. Well if any of you noticed I put up another story! IT's a BxP oneshot. It needs so work on it so if anyone would be willing to give me some constructive criticism. I'll take it! :) Now to revive myself with Chapter 6! Action and drama unfold!

I don't anyone except Maria...so Don't Use Her!

* * *

Haze. That was all he saw at the moment.

A blurry, indecipherable haze.

Junior tried to adjust his eyes to the dim-lit room. Everything was painful to look at. His eyes felt sore. Heck. _Everything_ felt sore. But the thing that hurt the most was his right arm which was throbbing relentlessly, as if someone was burning him with molten lava. Ouch.

Finally after a few moments his vision slowly cleared, and he was able to recognize where he was.

His bedroom.

The koopa breathed a sigh of relief. If the prince had been in a serious condition (meaning life or death), he would have be placed in the hospital wing, not his room. However, it dawned on Junior how he got here in the first place and sent the koopa into a state of panic.

"Dammit," he thought, "My dad must be furious!"

Trying not to imagine him being barbecued by his father, Junior assessed the damage he had taken during his crash. Besides the brutal scorch mark on his arm, which the pain had started to subside, the prince simply had some bad cuts and bruises.

"Thank goodness," he whispered, feeling better about the blood he had seen early.

_Knock knock knock _

Junior rolled his eyes. It was probably a guard or a doctor checking up on him. Great.

However, to his surprise it was not even servant, but his friend, Parakeke the Paratroopa.

"Keke? What are you doing here?" the shocked prince inquired.

"Sorry to bother you, dude, but someone really wanted to see you, and I was the only way they could get in," the floating koopa replied.

"Well send them away. I honestly don't feel like seeing anyone.

"Are you sure, dude? I had a really tough time getting _her_ in here."

Noticing the emphasis on "her", Junior raised his eyes in curiosity.

With one swift movement, Parakeke let the black-cloaked stranger in and escorted himself out.Unable to see his visitor's face, the prince spoke a quiet, "Hello?"

"So this is what your room looks like," a voice giggled.

"Maria?! Why are you here?! What if you are seen? Leave now! I don't understand why you came-"

The princess, who had removed her hood, broke Junior's outburst with a simple kiss.

"I was worried, stupid. I came to see you."

"Well, how did you know I was hurt?"

Frowning, Maria took Junior's claw and said slowly, "It's all over my kingdom. They say your father is outraged because... he belives my father attacked you."

"What?!" the injured koopa snarled, sitting straight up, but the princess gently persuaded him to lean back before continuing.

"That's another another reason I came," she stated reassuringly, "I want to know what really happened.

"King Boo was the one who attacked me"

"Oh my god...Junior..."

"Don't worry about it. He just blasted my arm."

"Which send you crashing into your castle!"

"...So!?"

"Junior," Maria said softly, leaning her head against his chest, "...I was so worried that... you were dying. I don't know what I would have done if you had-"

Breaking her off before she could finish, the prince said sternly, "Don't you ever talk like that. I'll always be here. _Always_. Even death can't stop me."

"Junior," the princess sighed, "You're an idiot."

"I know," he chuckled.

--

Two weeks came and left, which one meant thing: The Musicalala Festival would begin. Even during a time of war, everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom hustled about with excitement.

Well not everyone.

Looking out at her balcony, the glum Maria stood thinking about what had transpired for the past two weeks.

Junior had changed.

And not in a good way.

Ever since his dangerous encounter with the ghostly king, the prince's demeanor had become the very opposite of what he used to be.

Angry.

Pessimistic. (Well, more so than usual.)

Even some of his bitterness, he directed towards Maria. However, the princess simply pushed it aside since she believed it just was the war and King Boo effecting him, but her opinion changed that very morning that left the princess speechless.

"I don't want to see your performance."

"But Junior, this means a lot to me," she replied trying to remain calm.

"Well I have better things to do than listen to your annoying voice."

Maria stood in utter shock. It was as if someone had pierced her heart with a sword. Singing was an extremely personal thing to Maria. In a way, it was one of the very few things that could relieve her stress. No had ever insulted her singing. Especially Junior. He had always been so supportive.

Instead of fighting back, the heartbroken princess left without a word. It was not the fact that he would not attain, but the fact he had insulted one of the rare enjoyments of her life.

Sighing, Maria fought back the urge to cry. She even considered throwing away her necklace, but decided against it. "Perhaps, he's just going through a phase," she thought, "Maybe I should talk to him later..."

Hearing a knock at the door, Maria snapped out of her thoughts.

"But not right now," she continued to herself, "I have a performance."

Opening the door she greeted her maid with a gentle smile.

"Hello Toadette. I'm ready to leave."

--

Packed was an understatement for the Mushroom Opera House. The owner repeatedly ordered the ushers to check if there were any unsold seats There was even an hour long line just for people who did not reserve tickets, waiting for the main attraction.

Princess Maria.

Many rumors had spread about her voice. Though many people had not heard it, the few that did described it at a level of godliness.

The Mushroom Opera House, needless to say, was an interesting design. In the middle of the building was a circular platform and beyond that was rows of seats and balconies. Finally to have crisp acoustics, a curtain draped slightly over stage. The unique set up even allowed the orchestra to be heard beneath the stage and also permitted performers to ascend onto the platform for a dramatic entrance.

While the ushers escorted the audience to their seats, under the stage, crews and assistants rushed around.

"Remember the house _is_ open. So low voices!"

Knocking on a door, the manager, Tid T. poked her head in.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I want to know if Her Highness is ready for her warm ups?"

"Just touching up her make-up," Toadette replied.

"Ok, we're going to start in about thirty minutes, just to let you know."

"Thank you for the warning, Miss Tid," Maria said cheerfully.

"Of course, My Lady, I'll let you be," said the manager and closed the door.

"Oh, this is soooo exciting!" the maid sequealed.

"I know... There are so many people here...I'm a little nervous," the princess stated.

"Nonsense! You'll be amazing! I know it!"

Nodding in agreement, Maria put on her headpiece made of red pearls.

Toadette had truly out down herself with the princess's outfit. A stunning yet simply ruby dress decorated the girl, but the masterpiece was a blue jacket with puffy sleeves and golden embroidery that truly made the clothing stand out.

To add the final touch, Maria put on her star necklace.

"So is a certain _someone_ going to be her tonight," the curious maid said with a wink.

"Well I'm not sure if he got a seat or not..."

"Maria!"

Hugging her niece with all her strength, Daisy said cheerfully, "Oh Maria! You look gorgeous!"

"Yeah cous," Luciano said appearing from behind his aunt, "You're gonna definitely wow the audience."

After being released from her aunt, Maria was pulled into another bear hug with her cousin.

"Hey I want a hug before you two squeeze her to death," Luigi chuckled and gave his niece a gentle hug.

"Thank you, Uncle Weegee," Maria giggled.

"Not a problem! We don't want to lose our star performer, do we?

"No," the princess laughed once more.

"Hey, can't a guy hug his own daughter first?"

"Daddy," the singer said before rushing over to her father with open arms.

"You look perfect," the Mushroom king whispered," Your mother would be so happy."

"Suppressing the urge to cry, Maria quietly said, "Thanks, daddy."

"Alright! We said 'Hello' now let's go find our seats and hope they didn't get taken!" Daisy chimed.

"Mom...we are royal. We are guaranteed seats...plus, we're in the front row."

"Luciano, talk like that again and you're grounded."

"Aw, mom."

Giggling, Maria followed her family out the door to go warm up her voice. As she walked, she heard Tid T. say "Fifteen minutes!"

--

"Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 200th year of the Musicalala Festival!"

A small, but well dress Toad had ascended onto the stage and began his speech.

"As you know, people from across our Kingdom have come to perform and share with us their wonderful talent. But this year, as you may have heard, we have a special performer. This is our 200th year, our bicentennial if you will. This person was kind enough to lend us her voice in this year's celebration. Without further adieu, let me introduce Princess Maria Mario!"

Clapping and cheering the audience cried in excitement! During such a dark time for the their country, people were glad to see their princess keeping her spirits up.

The lights slowly dimmed as the audience calmed themselves. Nothing could be heard except the occasional cough from someone.

Then a spotlight flashed onto the stage revealing one person who had her eyes closed.

Maria.

No one dared to breath as if it would break her concentration. Everyone stared at the princess and heard the soft music began. A melodious tune broke out into the still audience, enrapturing their very thoughts. As the song began to play so did the princess letting her angelic voice resonate throughout the room.

_Il dolce suono_

_Mi colpi di sua voce!_

_...Ah, quella voce_

_M'e qui nel cor discesa!.._

Maria could feel every being in the room, watching her, taking in her very essence. The fear that once contained her slowly melted away and she drew upon longer notes.

_Edgardo! lo ti son reas; _

_Edgardo! Ah! Edgardo mio! _

_Si, ti son resa!_

_Fuggita io son da' tuoi nemici... _

_Un gelo mi serpeggia nel sen!... _

Many had questioned her on why she had chosen such a song. No one would ever understand, except herself. It reminded her of Junior and their love. How she wished she could make the koopa prince smile again. Yet a deep sadness had grown within the princess. It was almost a foreshadowing of what was to come.

_Trema ogni fibra!...Vacilla it pie!... _

_Presso la fonte meco t'assidi alquanto... _

Si, presso la fonte meco t'assidi...

Finshing the song, Maria chanted notes that had no words, yet captivated everyone who heard the music. Letting go of her finale note, the princess bowed her head to her people.

At that very moment, the audience stood up and cheered, tears streaming down their cheeks. Looking upon every face, Maria caught the eyes of her family who did not cry out, but had faces that were stained red.

"Thank you," the princess mouthed to her family.

But that glorious moment was shattered. All that was heard was a sudden smash and shockingly the ceiling of the entire building was gone.

The audience turned into chaos and uproar. The no one could believe what happened, but everyone suddenly realized what had just occured.

A terrible dragon stood before the opera house baring its sharp teeth.

Everyone immediately panicked and evacuated the building rapidly, while trying to avoid the debris that lie everywhere.

"LET'S MOVE!" Luigi yelled and hustled his wife and son along. As everyone rushed through the halls, the Sarasland prince froze paralyzed with fear.

"WAIT!" Luciano hollered, eyes wide, "Where's Maria?!"

Turning back, the prince ran at lightning speed to save his cousin.

"LUCIANO!" his mom screamed, but was quickly pulled away by the masses.

"If anything happens to her, I swear..." he thought and immediately his hands conjured balls of electricity.

Jumping off the third floor balcony, the young man searched for his cousin.

But he was too late.

The dragon's claw descended onto the stage to grab someone.

Maria.

"NOOO!" the prince screamed with all his might and rushed blindly towards the beast.

What he did not see was the other claw swing at him.

In seconds, the teenage was thrown back and slammed against a nearby balcony.

"LUCIANO" the princess cried out, fear lacing her voice.

In one final desperate attempt to save herself, Maria used her psychic powers to summon barrier around herself.

The dragon's sharp nails clasped around her shield and closed in on her.

Screaming the princess begged for anyone to help her.

"Please...anyone" she thought.

_Crack_

Suddenly Maria's world and her barrier was shattered by the dragon.

Then everything went black for the princess as the monster carried her away.

--

"Ugnnn..." Maria groaned.

"Hehehehe so glad you could join us, princess," a voice hissed.

Slowly pushing herself up from the ground, Maria quickly took notice of her surroundings. It was an abandoned kart stadium used for battling, but the girl's attention swiftly turned to the ghostly figure before her.

"King Boo," she whispered.

"Hello, my dear," the dead king hissed maliciously.

"Why am I here?! What do you want with me?" the princess screamed harshly.

"Patience, my dear, patience. All in good time, my child that is if... you survive."

"...w-what?"

With the snap of his fingers, the royal boo summoned the deadly beast that had attacked her early.

The green spiky monster hovered over the princess with it's heated breathe blowing onto her.

"Don't you love my new pet? I just got him today. Extremely powerful creature. Incredible strength, ability to breathe fire, and a loevly set of fangs too. But of course you should everything about this dragon. Isn't that right, sweet princess?"

"I don't what you're talking about! I have never been near a dragon! How would I know _anything_? Let me go!" the princess cried out, fear filled her voice.

"I'm appalled, princess," the ghost said making face, " I thought you of all people would recognize the _Prince of the Koopas_."

"...J-junior?! What did you do to my boyfriend?!"

"I cursed him my dear. That scorch mark on his arm is no ordinary burn. It is my insignia, allowing me to amplify the host's angry and turn it into raging monster that bows to my every command."

"W-what's going to happen to him?"

"That is certainly the wrong question. It should be what's going to happen to _you._"

Suddenly, Maria was stricken with fear unable to move or speak. Taking notice of her panic, the king snapped his fingers once more and uttered a phrase that left the princess paralyzed.

"Kill her."

Upon those words, the koopa dragon roared and shook the entire stadium. With one swing, the beast sent the princess flying across the field and into the dirt.

Trying to stand up, Maria once again summoned a barrier to protect herself, but like before the beast smashed the shield and scooped up the princess.

Then the girl let out a scream. It was a scream of pure terror. It was like a child who cries when they are lost, fearing that they will remain that way.

Silencing princess's cry, the monster slammed Maria to the ground and slowly crushed her with her one claw, digging into her flesh.

Unable to yell for help or holler just for the sake of being scared, tears poured forth the girl's face and fell into the dirt.

"This is it," she thought, "I'm going to die."

In her last breathes, the weak princess placed one hand on the dragon's claw and whispered softly.

"Junior, please stop."

Suddenly the monster's grip slackened and released the princess from her death. Hovering over Maria, the dragon stared at her and bloody cuts he left upon her.

"What are you DOING?! I gave you_ an order_._" _the dead king hissed, "KILL HER!"

"No," a deep voice grunted.

Floating, the ghost could only watch in horror as his once-pet-dragon slowly dissolved into its koopa form. The prince did nothing; however, except stare at his hands, which were covered in blood.

Maria's blood.

Unable to believe what he had just done, Junior broke down and begant to sob. King Boo said nothing more and vanished, realizing he had been defeated.

Crawling over to his girlfriend's side, the prince whispered softly to her, "Maria... I-I...I-"

"Someone i-is...coming...leave before they see you, Junior" the princess weakly responded.

"But Maria- I can't lea-"

"Go or I'll never forgive you."

The grief stricken koopa accepted the respond and slowly backed away. Summoning the koopa copter, the prince flew away crying harder than before.

Closing her eyes, Maria's mind slowly drifted into a dark abyss while somewhere in the background she heard her family's cry.

But she did not respond.

* * *

Well that was Chapter 6! I left you with quite a cliffhanger didn't I?! MUWAHAHAHA! I'm so bad. lol. Well I'm sorry it took so long. I'll gonna try to get out Chapter 7 ASAP. I hope you enjoyed this one. The song I used is the Diva Song from the movie, _The Fifth Element_. (If you haven't seen the movie, go look up diva dance on youtube. It's awesome.) If anyone would like the translations of the lyrics just ask me. :) Really, my writing can truly not describe the epicness of the song. It really is beautiful so go see it to do it justice!

Well that's all for now! Up next: more drama and more tears! Woohoo!


	7. Chapter 7: Memories

Wow. I haven't updated in awhile. Really sorry about that. Well I'm back in school so updates are going to be even slower than before. Sorry, but I'll try my hardest to write during the week if I have time. Well, in this chapter just a lot of talking nothing too actiony. (lol that's my new word.) Hope it's not too dull Enjoy!

I don't own anyone except for my character Maria. Don't use her without permission hence the reason I call her MINE.

* * *

Medicine.

Doctors.

Hospitals.

How she hated all of these things.

And Maria, Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, never hated anything.

Except the place she was in right now.

The Palace Hospital Wing.

What a long night it had been for the poor girl. After being found by her father and uncle in a coma-like state, she had been sent to emergency room for immediate medical attention.

Maria closed her eyes in frustration.

This place was far too familiar to her.

Every since the princess was a child, she had been cursed with what the doctors called "attacks."

They simply stated that the princess had a weak heart and if under intense stress, her body would shut down for a couple hours.

To her, it was fancy talk for "We Don't Know."

Even worse, the doctors gave Maria pills to "strengthen her heart."

She vowed to never take it.

The medication would make her nausea, light-headed, and on the rare occasions, depressed. She always chose to have attacks over extreme sadness and feeling sick.

More importantly, however, the princess did not take it because of pride. While many did not realize it, Maria was proud in her strength. Though she embraced being pampered by maids, she despised being called "delicate" or "fragile." When she would step up to the throne, she did not want her people to consider her weak.

Taking medicine for her so-called "weak heart" was an insult to her very persona.

She refused.

"That's one thing I truly admire Junior for," she thought, "He believes that I'm strong and I don't need hospitals to overcome my weakness."

Sighing, the princess's mind returned to the previous evening.

"Junior... is cursed. I wonder what will happen now," Maria whispered to herself, "I... hope he's okay."

_I wish we could talk._

Trying to comfort herself, the princess reached for her necklace.

It was not there.

Panic filled her mind , thinking of the possible outcomes if someone other than Toadette found it.

None of them were good.

As she was about to jump of the bed, a voice stopped her.

"Hey, cous."

"Luciano," Maria said with a false smile to hide her fear.

Her smile faded when she saw the damage Junior had done to her cousin.

The prince was in a wheelchair.

The Toad servant guided Lucian next to princess's bed and with a bow, left.

"You feeling better, I assume?" he asked gently.

"Yes, much better. Thank you," she replied, "How about you? What happened?"

"That dragon broke my ribs, two on each side," he gritted his teeth, "And my left arm is completely shattered, but they say I'll live."

"Thank goodnes, I'm so glad to hear that."

"Yeah..."

"...I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Maria," the prince stated.

"Luciano! It wasn't your fault!" she cried out, "It was a _dragon_ for goodness sake!"

"I know..." the prince said staring at his broken arm, "I just feel terrible for not protecting you..."

"You and Junior," she muttered.

"Junior? Who's that?"

Cursing herself for open her mouth, Maria merely mumbled, "No one," and gazed at her hands.

"Was he the one who made this?" the prince asked, holding up the star necklace.

Lifting her head in surprise, the princess gently nodded, took the jewelry and placed it around her neck where it belonged.

"It's a beautiful piece," he continued, "I have never seen anything so precise or stunning... as if it was conjured by magic..."

Maria's eyes widened. There was only one race that could use magic.

Koopas.

Paralyzed with fear the princes did not move nor talk, fearing for the worst.

Luciano merely stated, "Does Bowser Junior treat you well?"

Maria closed her eyes.

It was over.

He knew.

Everyone would know.

No point in avoiding the subject.

"Yes," she said quietly, "He is kind to me."

"Good. That's I needed to hear."

The princess darted her eyes towards her cousin who was gently smiling at her.

No outburst?

No tears?

No speech about being a disgrace?

No.

Just a comforting smile.

"When?" she asked.

"When what?"

"When did you realize the truth... about us?"

"The moment I saw the necklace," Luciano said, "I always thought it was odd you were so close to the koopa whenever we held a tournament of some sort. It makes sense though."

Maria was ready to faint from. Here she was talking to her cousin about the one thing she swore never to tell anyone! Well...besides Toadette. Everything was nerve-racking...yet relieving... For so long she had wondering...dreaming...what her family would say..now she had no choice because Luciano would tell them...

_Knock knock._

"Come in," the prince said.

Bowing a quiet Toad main entered the room.

"Pardon me, Master Luciano, but your mother wishes for your to return to pack since you will be leaving soon."

"Yes, of course. I'll be there in as moment. Thank you."

With another curtsy, the servant left.

"I guess I'm going home a little, cous," the boy said depressingly ad wheeled himself to the door.

"Wait Luciano!" the princess cried out, "When are you going to tell everyone?"

"Tell everyone about what?"

"About...Junior."

"Maria," the prince said softly with a smile, "I'm not going to say anything to them. You can tell them when you are ready."

"It's your secret. Not mine."

--

Sleep. How Maria wished she could.

But something bothered her.

It had been over a week since Luciano had left, yet Junior had not appeared once to her. That worried her. The princess desperately wanted to talk to the prince about everything, but there had been no word from him. And she dared not to sneak out since she had not fully recovered.

The girl listened to the clock chime midnight and remembered all those times when Junior would walk through her balcony door to visit her.

Maria wished that would happen again.

_Click._

Snapping her head up, the princess's eyes stared frantically at her balcony door which slowly swung open. The worst thought came to her first: King Boo. Just as she was about to scream for help, large figure stopped her.

"Junior?!"

The prince said nothing, but slowly closed the door behind and walked quietly to Maria's side.

"Junior anwser me!" the princess said in a loud whisper, "Why haven't I heard from you? Why didn't you say anything?! Don't you know how-"

She froze, looking at the prince's eyes.

His ruby eyes...

His _bloodshot, tear-stricken_ eyes.

Ever since that night went Junior flew away, he never stopped crying.

Even now, it looked like he was ready to break down.

Gently wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her face into the koopa's snout, Maria softly whispered the words he needed to hear.

"I forgive you."

With that, the prince began to shake and Maria suddenly realized her boyfriend was crying. Never one had the princess seen her boyfriend so vulnerable...so weak. In a way it scared her.

Yet she could do nothing.

Just calm his woes.

--

"So...will they... go away?"

"...probably not."

"Maria-"

"Junior, really, ...it's okay. It's not your fault."

The couple who had reunited the stroke of midnight, were now talking about what had happened during that long and painful week. While Junior apologized over and over again, Maria repeatedly told her boyfriend that she understood and wanted to move on. Even though the prince had nearly killed her, the moment he let go because of her plead, proved to her that the dragon was not truly Junior.

However, even with that understanding, the koopa was still filled with guilt and decided to ask about the claw marks that he had given her.

They were going to leave a scar, forever reminding the prince of what he had done.

But Maria, in all her stubbornness, simply brushed it off.

"It doesn't matter to me," she said nonchalantly, "To me, scars are just physical memories. They will always remind you of what happened, but instead of just thinking, you'll see it too. So even if they disappeared, I still remember it."

"Who knows," the girl continued resting her arm on Junior's shoulder, "Maybe they will heal..."

A silence filled the air at that moment, each taking in the quiet atmosphere. Nothing could be heard except the occasional chirping of crickets.

"You're strong. You know that, Maria?"

"...no. No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," the koopa said seriously, "With everything that has ever happened to you...you can still place a smile on your face. Even after your mom's death..."

The princess said nothing, but kept her hugging her knees, gazing into space.

_Mom..._

Junior placed a claw on her shoulder and asked, "Maria? You okay?"

_Mom..._

A tear rolled down her cheek.

_Where are you?_

"I miss her," she mumbled as more tears fell, "I miss everything about her. Her smiles, her hugs, everything. She always made me feel strong. She always said I could do anything... She was my strength... Then she was taken away! And...you know what hurts the most?" The princess asked Junior with a face already turning red from her sobbing.

The prince look to her, simply asking her with his sad eyes.

"I never got to say good-bye."

Then Maria broke down and cried. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. Perhaps it was her way of trying to get over the terrifying dragon incident. Or perhaps she was just crying because she had never truly mourned over her mother's death unlike so many other people.

Junior careful surrounded the princess with his muscular arms and held her as if that would make her tears fade away. Though his gesture was caring, his face was the complete opposite. It was full of deep thought and resentment. Something was bothering him.

Finally after a moment of pondering, the koopa lovingly cupped the princess's wet face. His look was serious yet he seemed uneasy.

"Maria, I have to show you something."

* * *

OH NOES! Another cliffhanger! What does Junior need to say?! Well there ya go! Chapter 7! I really felt the last scene with Maria crying about her mom was too weak and too short. If anyone has any advice on how I could connect that better, I will appreciate it. Alright, the next chapter is probably one of my favorite scenes in my story because...well... I don't want to give it away. lol See you guys in Chapter 8: MORE ACTION! YAYS!


	8. Chapter 8: Rainbow Sanctuary

Chapter 8 is here! Yes! I'm sooooo sorry for not updating sooner! School is a mess right now! I'm terribly busy. Chapters will continue to be slow until I finish school... or I finish this story. (I think I'll finish the story first though. lol) Anyways, I apologize for being super lazy and slow. But anyways, here's to Chapter 8: The Rainbow Sanctuary! (I just own Maria, go away)

The wind rushed past Maria, leaving her slightly chilled. The moment she shivered, however, a burly arm wrapped around her and provided some warmth. The princess snuggled closer to the touch and embraced the comfort.

Bubbling with thoughts, Maria wished she knew what was going on or even where she was going, but the koopa by her side did not give her any hints. In fact, Junior had not spoken to her since he had scooped her up and carried her out to the koopa kopter.

"Junior," she had said softly, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

_You'll see._ That was all. You'll. See.

Was it bad? Was it good? She could not tell. All she knew was whatever Junior was showing her had him in deep thought.

Suddenly the princess's face was flushed with heat and a bright orange light. Maria quickly leaned over the edge of kopter to see where she was.

"Junior...why are we in...the koopa kingdom?"

The prince who finally broke his silence turned towards the snowy hair girl and said quietly,

"It's a long story..."

"But why won't you tell-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Junior whipped around the corner of his castle and glided to the backside getting closer and closer to the sea of lava.

"We must been going inside," she thought to herself, "But... what if someone sees me?!"

As Maria was about to question the koopa again, the couple came to a large opening in the rear of the castle, with a small stream of lava flowing out from it. Without another word, Junior careful guided the koopa kopter into the opening, making sure not to touch the lava. Though the tunnel was dark and grimy, lava radiated a constant light source and allowed the prince to navigate safely through the treacherous pipe.

Then the koopa kopter halted for a moment. Maria looked curiously around her. The tunnel seemed to bent in the most peculiar way almost as if there was a fork in the road...

Still not speaking once more, Junior swiftly pressed a button on the control. Suddenly the bend in the wall vanished into another opening.

The princess could only blink in confusion. Every second that passed seemed more startling than the next. What else had Junior kept secret from her? Maybe he knew a lot more than he let on...

With the secret entrance in sight, the duo hovered through a series of twists and turns. The princess suddenly realized the lava flow began to diminish with each passing second and the pathway grew darker and darker. However, just as Maria could barely see her hand, a soft pink light illuminated the surrounding area. They were at a docking port.

Gracefully, Junior guided the koopa kopter to halt and chained it to a pole that was suited for keeping the aircraft in place. Holding out his claw, the silent prince steady Maria and eased her to the ground. Curiously, there was no one around. In fact, the place looked as if it had not seen anyone in months. The only thing that looked clean and new was the black door emitting the strange pink light. The princess reached out to touch the door, but a sturdy claw stopped her.

Holding out his hand to her, Junior spoke softly, "Take my hand, Maria."

"Why?" she asked calmly.

"Because beyond these doors is something terrible that will hurt you if you aren't by my side at all times."

Her heart began to race. Something terrible? Like what? What is Junior talking about? She realized she could do nothing but trust him so gently and carefully Maria grasped the koopa's hand and merely nodded her head. She wanted to know. She _needed_ to know.

Junior pushed the large steel door open.

--

It was a long tunnel, a very old one at that. But that's not what caught Maria's eye.

Pirahana Plants.

Suddenly the princess realized what was causing the pink light. It was the carnivorous flowers that entangled and covered the walls. They seemed to watch her, ready to snap when she wasn't looking. These plants were a color Maria had never seen. Yes, they were pink but they have black spots all over. Usually black on a pirahana plant meant the creature was dead, but these flowers seemed to be in perfect condition...

"Junior," the princess whispered, trying to prevent the intimidating daisies from listening, "What species of pirahana plant is this?"

"All of them really."

"...all of them?"

"They are reincarnated plant remains scientist have collected. My dad used his magic to bring them back to life."

"But," Maria said slowly grasping what she was being told, "Why do they look all the same? Wouldn't they be...different in color, size..."

"Magic changed them. Their senses are amplified and my dad has changed the way they think. Pretty much, they'll kill anyone and everyone except for... nine people."

"Nine?! Why just nine?"

"Because there are only nine people allowed down this tunnel. My siblings, my dad and myself. This place is a major secret in the castle. Only a few people even know about these plants. My dad doesn't want anyone else to know. So if someone ever comes down here... they are never seen again."

"Then...why am I still alive?"

"Because," the prince grunted, "You are with me. As long as you hold my claw, these plants consider us as one being: me. It's kinda a flaw in their design."

"But, Junior, why are they here? Why is this place so secretive?"

The prince froze for a second, closing his and taking a deep breath. After another moment, he whispered so softly even Maria had to lean forward to hear it all.

"Because this is only place that will ever prove my father made a mistake."

Their walk abruptly stopped. Another door blocked their path except this one was different. It was a beautiful white crystal door with golden trimming. The door was craved with a language Maria could not understand, but added to the surreal design.

The princess nervously glanced up at her solemn boyfriend. She could not fathom what lied beyond these doors. A....mistake? Surely, even Junior's father made mistakes...Could it be so great that...he would have to lie...to his own kigdom? Would it be a monster? Would it be weapon? She had absolutely no clue and Junior gave no hints either. But her questions would be answered in moments.

The koopa placed one hand on the glittering entrance and pushed it opened.

A bright light encased the couple and blinded Maria.

--

Opening her eyes gently, Maria gasped at the sight before her. It was as if she was outside. Cool green grass stood at her feet, and sapphire sky surrounded her. A small stone bridge allowed to anyone to cross over a clear stream. But in the center of this all was a tall hill with steps leading up to the flat top. The top of hill was covered by a stunning purple tree. The tree...it was magnificent. Ever few seconds the leaves would change colors, going from red all the way to a deep blue...reflecting every color of the rainbow...

Maria took a few steps forward, but stopped. She still held Junior's hand and was afraid to let go.

"Maria," the prince began, "Can you go up to the top of the hill?"

"What about...you?"

"I'll get up there...but I want you to see this by yourself."

Before Maria could question the koopa's motives, he let go of her hand and gave her a gentle push.

Swallowing her fear, the princess slowly strolled down the cobblestone path and across the bridge. Being closer to the area, Maria noticed how beautiful everything was. The river seemed to surround the hill, making it an island. After crossing the bridge, beautiful glass emerald steps, which seemed to hover over the hill itself, were illuminated by dark blue lanterns, which also floated as if held up by magic.

"_This is Bowser's mistake? How could this be a mistake? This is a wonderful place...how could this be...wrong?"_ the princess thought to herself.

Finally Maria made her to the top and stared at the tree whose leaves, she realized, were not real leaves, but made of a stunning crystal. But immediately her eyes darted to something else. Something far more important than she could ever imagine.

The base of the crystal plant had beautiful rose bushes everywhere, one of every color, but they surrounded a golden bed that had a glass case to protect the person who lay in there.

The princess's eyes blurred and she felt more tears run down her cheek. The pain was too great to hold back. She merely whispered one word and one word alone.

"Mother."

--

Maria's mind melted. She felt so confused and barely noticed a large creature scoop her up and cradle her like a small child.

"I'm sorry, Maria," Junior said quietly.

"This is...?"

"Yes," he continued grimly, "This is the mistake my father made over twelve years ago."

"H-how is this possible?" Maria sniffed, now standing weakly next to the koopa.

"Magic lava. My father originally created the lava so if someone fell in, they would die, but their bodies wouldn't be destroyed. He planned to use against your father...so when he died, my dad...could create a sorta trophy."

Instantly Maria sneered at the horrid thought.

"I know it seems disgusting" he continued quickly, "But it's not the way you think it is. He planned to use this area as a resting place for Mario. It was going to be a public thing. Almost "In your face Mushroom Kingdom!" But when...your mother died instead of your father, my dad's confidence collapsed. He locked himself in his room for days and there were times when I could hear him sob..."

The prince gently held Maria's hand and looked at her with a deep sadness. "My father loved your mother, Maria. Everything and anything about her made him light up with a smile. He was so... depressed after her death he could barely do anything. So instead of using this place for your father, my dad built this as a resting place for Peach."

"...why?" the still-crying princess asked, "Why...didn't you tell me?"

The prince let out a deep sigh.

"Because I was so afraid of how you would react. This is place means everything to my dad. If word got out that my kingdom had your mom's body...I think an even greater war would erupt... But tonight when you cried dearly for her... I couldn't hold out any longer. I showed you this place tonight... so you could say good-bye to her..."

Neither Maria nor Junior moved, each staring at the other. The koopa looked miserably at his girlfriend, hoping that she would forgive him.

Without any warning, the princess pulled Junior into a gentle hug and more tears rolled down her face.

"...Thank you."

Breathing a sigh of relief, he returned the hug and whispered softly, "You're welcome."

Breaking apart, Maria took a step forward and gazed sorrowfully at her mother. She looked as wonderful and as perfect as she remembered her. She even was smiling, as if she was in a peaceful slumber.

"How strange..." she whispered aloud, "She looks as young as I remember."

"My dad kept her body preserved. She is as she was when she passed away twelve years ago. She's in perfect condition."

"Perfect," a voice hissed.

Fear froze the duo as they stood over the coffin of Peach. Disbelief quickly spread across their faces as they turned around and faced the one person they did not want to see.

King Boo.

"I'm so glad you found what I was looking for, Maria. It is difficult to find bodies of dead queens these days," the ghost said snakily.

"You found nothing!" Junior snarled, bearing his fangs to the king, "You have caused enough trouble for Maria. You leave her alone!"

The evil boo let out a vicious laugh that made Maria shiver nervously.

"Of course, I have no desire for Maria anymore but I'm afraid you two can't remain alive," he said with a nasty grin.

Before the koopa could even roar, King Boo released a violent cry, and suddenly the once sapphire sky turned black and thousands of boos appeared before the couple who could only watch in fear.

"As you can see, I have bigger plans and you love birds are in my way."

Immediately the dead king turned to his followers and hissed fiercely, "KILL THEM!"

Instantly the undead army rushed toward the couple, their eyes glowing a terrible red. However, in a flash, Junior and Maria disappeared, making the army smash together and hiss in anger. King Boo stared in shock and snarled maliciously, "You imbeciles! FIND THEM!"

--

Panting heavily Maria and Junior sat quietly in a ditch on the outskirts of the area. The hill behind them was swarmed with boos and King Boo floated ruthlessly in the middle of all the chaos. Just seconds before the duo was about to be attacked, Maria teleported them away to safety and now they sat, their minds racing for a solution.

"What are we going to do?!" the princess cried out.

"I don't know," the prince muttered, "I-i can't believe he followed us! I don't how we can defeat so many boos. There is nothing large enough to wipe them all out."

Junior glanced over at Maria who had gone strangely quiet.

"Maria? You alright...?"

"Hit me."

"WHAT?!"

The princess stared into Junior's eyes, she was dead serious.

"If you hit me...I'm sure that will set off my psychic powers... I could destroy them all..."

"But, Maria," the koopa said sternly, grabbing her hand, "That will destroy everything...including your mom."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"No...Maria...I can't."

What Maria said next, would seal their fate.

"You are a coward."

The koopa head shot up.

"What did you say?"

Maria continued her breath an icy cold, "You are a god forsaken coward! You koopas are all the same! You hide under your shells when things turn for the worst! You are hopeless! Even you're father hides when he makes mistakes! YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR SPINELESS FATHER!"

_SMACK!_

Junior's hand flew so fast, Maria barely realized she had been hit. Her body flung to the ground like a ragdoll. Even the koopa looked at his redden palm, shocked at what he had done.

"M-maria..." he stuttered.

"You should be running."

The prince's eyes widened at the voice.

It was not King Boo's.

Maria stood before him. A strange aura surrounded her, making her presence intimidating to Junior. He even took a step back when he saw her eyes.

They were burning red.

Realizing it was too late to change her mind, the prince nodded his head and snapped his fingers. Instantly he faded, leaving Maria to finish the deed.

Facing her enemy, the cold-hearted princess took a step forward, the ground crackling with each step.

--

King Boo looked around the tree, with absolute hatred. Never had a victim disappeared! This was impossible. But the girl's eyes...before they had vanished, they flashed a white color... Maybe that princess was the one-

Suddenly the ghost felt a powerful presence that shook his very being. He had not felt such power in a long time, and he wondered how could such a person enter this room without his notice.

The king turned to face the mysterious stranger.

It was Maria, clear in the opening!

King Boo nearly let his angry demeanor reveal his surprise. Something about her had changed and he did not like it.

"Well," he began, trying to keep his cool, "I suppose you decided to surrender? How very wise. But where is your turtledove? I guess he decided to hide like a little goomba."

The girl did not answer. Whether it was fear or anger, he could not tell. He knew time was running out and he needed to end this now. Since he was not sure whether she would disappear again, he quickly decided to finish her, himself.

A purple light poured from his hand, and he aimed directly at the princess's heart.

"Bye, my love," he hissed and released the energy beam.

The attack flew towards Maria.

She did not move.

The boo's eyes gleamed with victory, but that suddenly melted into fear.

The purple light was smacked away with her palm.

No screaming.

No pain.

No death.

She had wiped away one his most powerful attacks and did not even blink.

King Boo began to tremble in shock.

"So much for defeating me," she hissed with blazing eyes.

Before the king could even reply back, Maria levitated off the ground and rose to the top of the tree. Every boo froze in wonder and dared not to move. Even King Boo watched in horror.

With a wave of her hands, pink petal appeared and floated gracefully around the rainbow sanctuary. Each flower swayed to a breeze of its own and suddenly stopped in midair. Closing her eyes, Maria hovered above the army in deep concentration. Instantly her eyes shot open and she utterly her final phrase.

"Death Blossom."

Each petal exploded and a pink fire enveloped the all the boos and everything around them. No one could see anything and all that was heard was the petrified screams of the undead army. The flames engulfed the land, and swallowed any traces of life. Amidst this chaos, stood one person alone, who simply muttered something that only she could hear.

"Forgive me... mom."

--

The castle shook relentlessly, and even the King of the Koopas leaned on stone wall for balance. Bowser had just finished a meeting with his Secretary of Defense, and now he looked frantically for the one koopa had a good idea of what was happening.

"Kammy!" he roared. Instantly the magikoopa appeared and bowed, but quickly fell over because of the sudden rumblings.

"Yes, Your Badness!"

"What is happening!?"

"Sire..." the old assistance began, "Someone has slipped past security and has attacked area P-1."

"...P-1?"

Kammy merely raised her eyesbrows and suddenly the Koopa King's face changed in shock.

"Peach's resting place," she mumbled.

--

Maria could feel herself and her power fading. The rampage on King Boo had taken a toil on her because now she felt that familiar pain in her head and her chest.

The princess suddenly clutched her heart. "No!" she thought to herself, "Not now! I can't take another attack! I'll get caught. I'll proba-"

It was too late. Her eyes rolled to back of her head and Maria collapsed to the burnt ground, panting.

Almost as quickly as she had fainted, someone knelt by herself and gently cradled the princess into his burly arms.

"I have to get you out of here," Junior whispered, pausing for a moment to hear the rumble of his father's army, "And fast."

With another snap, the young prince was in the koopa kopter, flying off to the Mushroom Kingdom and grateful that rising smoke covered his exit.

--

"Well, what's the damage, Boo-Boo?"

"Three-fourths of the army is critical injured and the rest of them have flow away in fear."

"So basically, we are crushed," King Boo hissed.

"I'm afraid so sir," Boo-Boo replied.

The ghostly ruler and his assistance floated amongst the ruins of Bowser's hidden sanctuary. In actuality, there were no ruins. The princess's lethal flowers had destroyed everything. Not even leaving a hint that this was once a beautiful grave. By grace of his faithful boos, King Boo and a few imperial Boos had been protected by the army while the terrible fire seared them.

"My lord, I'm afraid I have more terrible news," the young boo said, trembling with fear.

"What is now?" the king hissed already feeling angered by the losses.

"There is nothing left of Peach's body. That attack destroyed _everything_. There aren't traces of her hair that we could use to rebuild it. _She is gone_. Princess Maria destroyed it all."

However, to Boo-Boo's surprise, the royal ghost let out a terrible laugh.

"On the contrary, I think that is wonderful news," King Boo wheezed, "I don't think we need Peach anymore because I have found...the perfect replacement."

The undead king turned his attention to the cloudy figures escaping the area by the means of a koopa helicopter.

"Maria," he purred.

FINALLY! I'm soooo sorry this took forever! I'm just glad I finished this. I'll try to work on Chapter 9. It should be very short. I hope not too short. Ehhh I don't know. I hope everyone liked this. This was my favorite part. I just imagine this glorious resting place for Peach. Maybe I'll draw a picture... idk. Well I want to thank everyone who waited so patiently! I hope I didn't lose anyone. So I'll try to work harder on Chapter 9 and trust me, the next chapter will make you want to read more...so I think.


	9. Chapter 9: The Game is Over

**Another Chapter! In spirit of NaNoWriMo I wrote Chapter 9! I'm not terribly happy with this chapter. It's a weak point in the story, but it's definitely important as to where I want to leave off. I hope everyone likes it or at least bares with me hahaha. The chapters will only get better from here. Well enough about me onto the story! Chapter 9: The Game Is Over**

**Don't touch Maria. She is mine. ALL MINE. RAWR.**

* * *

"Junior!" the amethyst princess cried out, "Wait for me!"

Racing across the gentle meadow, the six year old child met up with her koopa playmate who had recently turned seven years old. By the time, she had caught up to him, Maria was out of breath and was panting heavily.

"What took you so long?" he sneered, "I was waiting forever!"

"Sorree!" she giggled, "I was finishing a tea party with my Auntie Daisy."

"Whatever. Girl."

"I'm not a girl!"

"Yes you are!"

"Nu uh!

"Uh huh!"

"Fine," the koopa prince said, puffing smoke out his nose, "If you aren't a girl, prove it!"

"How?"

Suddenly a devious grin spread across, the boy's face.

"TAG! YOU'RE IT!"

With that, Junior quickly dashed across the grass, snickering.

"HEY!" she cried out in protest. But it was too late so Maria retaliated and followed him.

Running in his footsteps, the snowy hair girl chased him through the Mushroom Forest and across the shore. As they passed their usual sitting spot, Maria came to a startling halt. Junior had stopped running. As she was about to question his motives, she noticed his snout was in the air. He never did that.

"Junior?" she asked slowly, "What's wrong?"

"Run."

"What?" the girl said again, her eyes trembling with fear.

Suddenly the ground shook with a mighty rumble, and her question was quickly answered.

A very large chain chomp was rampaging towards them.

It was burning with anger.

Paralyzed with fright, Maria stood motionless and merely watched the red demon charging at her.

Then a pair of claws grabbed her and dragged her away.

"COME ON MARIA! RUN!"

As if instinct had taken over, she ran. It wasn't a game of tag anymore. It was life or death. And she did not want to die. She could heard her heart racing and her mind was drawing a blank. Maria barely realized Junior was leading the way. All she knew that death was following them.

But perhaps, life was over for her.

Maria tripped.

Smacking into the damp earth, the child did not move. She knew this was the end. It was over. No one could save her. She was dead.

Without warning, those pair of claws came back and pushed Maria into the bushes nearby.

Life slowly flowed into her pale face, and the reality came back to her.

She was safe.

...but where was Junior?

A blood-curdling scream pierced her ears, and the princess watched the greatest horror unfold before her.

The young koopa was fighting against the wild dog and was being tossed around like a chew toy. Blood was dripping from his arms and his shell was mauled terribly. Even the spikes he wore did not bother the beast. But somehow the boy kept getting up. Every time he was thrown down, he stood up, stiff as a board.

_Stop it._

Maria could feel the tears falling down her cheeks. Something was building up inside her. A deep hatred...for the chain chomp.

_Stop it!_

Junior was starting to lose his grip. The wounds were wide open. Half of him was covered in red and a deep gashed crossed his right arm.

"Stop," she whispered.

The chain chomp bared its fangs at the koopa and growled, preparing to attack one final time.

"Sit!" the girl screamed.

Junior collapsed. Maria's mind turned black with pure hatred and crushed the chain chomp. Her bloodshot eyes turned a violent red.

"I SAID SIT!"

It was gone. The chain chomp vanished.

Her mind clearing, Maria looked at her hands.

They, with the rest of her body, was splattered with blood.

--

Maria woke up in a cold sweat. Her body shook with absolute horror. That nightmare was vivid. Too vivid. The incident had happened so long ago... yet the dream still occurred every so often, making the princess shake every time.

Slipping on a silk robe, the princess walked outside to her balcony, to calm herself. The cool air seemed to relax her and she began to breathe at a normal pace.

That was the first time she had ever used her powers on such a great level. At that age, she could barely bend spoons, yet she had annihilated a living creature. The stress had been too much for the six year old, and Maria had mentally broken down. Even the doctors considered about placing her in a mental asylum. She, at that time, had refused to let anyone touch her and would not talk about what happened. Maria had been so...afraid she would kill the people she loved. It had been too much.

However, Junior made her realize her brutal attack was not in vain.

"_You saved me," he had said, quietly in her room one night, "There will never be a day when I will regret what you did for me. Thank you."_

"_...my powers... hurt people..." she had replied sadly._

"_You have an incredible talent and you make a mistake. We all do. Some are greater than others, but we learn and get stronger. That's what my papa says. Get up when you fall down. So Maria..." he had held out his bandaged hand and said, "Be strong for me."_

"Be strong for me," she whispered to herself.

The princess had prayed for strength for the past two weeks. These weeks had been so tiresome for her. After waking up in the hospital again, Maria was heavily questions by doctors on her recent attack. Lying to them, the girl told them that she had no memory of collapsing or when it even happened. Because of this she had to remain in the hospital while the doctors ran stupid tests.

During this time, her father decided to visit her, but not to make sure she was fine. He wanted to know if any koopas harmed her at all. His reason? He was going off to fight another battle with Bowser. Rumors were that the Koopa King was furious because a part of his castle had been annihilated, and he blamed the Mushroom Kingdom. Her father needed any pathetic excuse to counterattack. In one of the few rare moments of her life, Maria utterly had lost her cool. She had blown up at him and told him to leave.

"_I feel bad enough as it is! I don't need you bringing your stupid military tactics into my life! GET OUT!" she had hissed._

Mario, needless to say, was stunned. Saying nothing more, he left the princess to rot miserably in her bed.

The white hair princess pressed her hands to her face. She felt more tears trickling down her cheeks. This war was getting old.

"There has to be some way to end this," she muttered softly, "Junior is tired of it too."

_Junior..._

The light bulb clicked above Maria's head. Everyone must be tired of this war... even the Koopa Kingdom. What if Junior and Maria...revealed their relationship and wanted to achieve peace? Surely some people would be mad...but the war would have to end. Luciano proved to Maria that he didn't care as long as Junior was a gentleman to her. Maybe the Mushroom Kingdom would feel the same way.

Dashing to her closet with excitement, the girl put on a slim purple dress. She needed to see Junior right away and tell him her idea. Kissing her star necklace, she ran out of her closet to grab a jacket when she had the familiar click at the door.

"Perfect!" she thought to herself, "He's here!"

As she was ready to glomp her boyfriend with all her might, she noticed the solemn expression on his face. Taking a deep breathe, she greeted Junior as calmly as she could.

"Hi Junior," she whispered.

"Hey," he replied softly, "How come you are awake?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

An awkward silence fell upon them. Maria knew something was desperately wrong, but for the first time in her life, she was afraid to ask. Something in her gut told her Junior did not bring good news and it wasn't exactly about the war.

"Junior...you ok?" she asked gently.

Running a scaly claw through his flaming hair, the prince sighed, "I need to tell you something important. You should probably sit down."

Sitting silently on the edge of her bed, Maria watched as the koopa prince pulled out a black scroll.

It had Bowser's mark on it.

"What is that?" she asked.

"This is an order from my father: In three weeks the Koopa Kingdom will invade the Mushroom Kingdom."

"So? This has happened before."

"Maria, my dad is bringing his entire army."

The girl's eyes widened in horror. The _entire_ army? There were over a million men in Bowser's armada! Her kingdom had 900,000 men that included the navy, the military and the air force. The koopa king was using everything he had. This was going to be Bowser's final attack. To win or to die.

"W-why are you telling me this?" she stuttered, "I'm sure I would have learned of this sooner or later."

Junior said nothing. He simply stood where he was, and gazed at the floor. Another long silence descended upon the couple. All that could be heard was the uneasy breathing from the koopa. Finally after a few moments, Junior let out a deep sigh and ran another claw through his hair. When he spoke to Maria, it sent chills down her spine. His voice was serious and cold.

"I don't want to see you anymore."

"Why?!" Maria whispered loudly, her voice slowly rising to a panicked tone. Her plan was going to backfire!

"Because even after knowing each other for so long," he said bitterly, "nothing has changed. Our families still hate each other. Our kingdoms are still dying."

"But Junior! There has to be another way! I don't want it to end like this. Junior, I l-"

"I hate you."

That was it. Maria's mind went blank. Absolutely blank. Her life was a huge lie. She had nothing. Nothing. Her mind reeled for a response. Something. Anything to get Junior back. Instead, she spit out the most hateful thing she could muster.

"Then what are you waiting for you spineless bastard? Get out."

Then Junior left. Left without a good-bye. Without a kiss. Without his love. Without his necklace.

Realizing she still had the star piece jewelry on. Maria ripped the gift from her neck, threw harshly against her door, and broke down into a long and painful sob.

The game of love was over, and she had lost.

--

Roaring at the guard, who had barged into his room, Junior snarled that he would be there in a moment. He had another sleepless night, and was furious that his father dared to summon him at such an early hour. Not to mention, breaking up with the one person that made him smile, did not make him any happier.

"Damn, bastard. What the hell does he want now?" he grumbled to himself.

Walking into the throne room, Junior sneered a chair that was made for his father. As a koopaling, he loved to sit in, dreaming of some day how he would become king. Nowadays, he hated to look at it. He dreaded the day he would become the ruler of this war-torn kingdom.

And there was his father. Still as strong and scary as he remembered. While he now had some wrinkles and grey in his hair, Bowser could strike fear into the heart of anyone he wanted to.

Clearing his throat, Junior stood inches from the steps that led up to where his father sat who had his eyes closed.

"Mornin' Sir," the koopa prince rumbled.

Bowser simply nodded his head. His brows were knitted together, a sign he was in deep thought.

"Junior," the king finally said, "We have been at war with the Mushroom Kingdom for a long time. Yes?"

The prince grunted in agreement.

"As king, I have guided this country through this war, and I have overseen every single aspect of it."

"What are you saying?" Junior asked, getting slightly irritated because he no clue as to where his father was going with this.

"Tomorrow will be my last day as ruler of this kingdom."

"What?" the prince cried out, "What are you talking about dad?! Have you gone mad? You are in perfect health, and we aren't going to invade the Mushroom Kingdom for three weeks."

"That's where you are wrong," the king said sternly, "One of our soldiers intercepted a letter from the Secretary of War in the Mushroom Kingdom. They are marching to the border and by tomorrow they will invade the Koopa Kingdom."

"Dad...what do you mean?"

"Junior...if I go out to battle, and I don't come ba-"

"Don't talk like that," the boy replied harshly, "You _will_ come back."

"Not if that bastard Mario is bringing over 2,500,000 men."

"2-2-500,000?! That's _twice_ the size of our army! They didn't have that many people before! How could they possibly gain over a million soldiers? Did they impose a draft on the kingdom or something?"

"No," Bowser grunted, "Everyone is joining on their own free will. Something happened last night at the Mushroom Palace and the entire kingdom is in an uproar. We don't know who did it, but the Koopa Kingdom is being blamed and now we are preparing for battle tomorrow."

"What happened last night? What is making everyone so upset?"

Bowser finally opened his eyes. He stared directly at Junior. Sadness dwelled in his eyes, and he spoke very softly.

"The Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, has been kidnapped."

* * *

**YESH! I'm done Chapter 9. As I said ,this chapter was shorter than the other ones. I hope you guys liked it. One or two plot twists make the story fun! You will see why Junior said what he did. Also, to make sure everyone understands the dream Maria had, basically, with her mind, the chain chomp exploded. But I didn't want to say that. I tried to make that scene not over the top. I hope everyone is okay. haha Umm that's it for now. I hope to work on Chapter 10, but it's probably gonna be while. Oh well I'll try! I can't wait for Chapter 10: MORE PLOT TWISTS OHHHHHHH lol.**


	10. Chapter 10: Maria is Missing!

Well another here at last. I think this is another favorite of mine because...well I'm not giving away any secrets. School is busy as ever. But I shall persist! RAWR! hee hee. That's all I have to say really so enjoy Chapter 10: Maria is Missing!

MARIA IS MINE! That is all. Good day.

* * *

To say the Mushroom Kingdom was in an uproar was clearly an understatement.

On a miserable grey day, a humble koopa with a black scarf walked quietly through the streets of Toad Town, taking note of all rallies that occurred on the corner.

"SAVE OUR PRINCESS!"

"...TEACH THAT HEARTLESS BOWSER A LESSON!"

"FINISH THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

"JOIN THE FIGHT!" "JOIN THE ARMY!"

Like robots, toads, koopas, and goombas alike lined to sign their names and their fates.

Ignoring the masses, the mysterious stranger strolled swiftly to the familiar gates that bore the royal insignia. He placed a claw on the door.

_The Mushroom Palace..._

"Hey you!" a toad guard screamed.

Remaining where he was, the silent koopa stared at the angry soldier.

"What the hell do you thinkin you're doing!?! The Castle is off limits!"

"I'm sorry, sir," he began, "I'm a reporter for the Daily Chit-Chat. There have been so many rumors that I came here to write an accurate article."

"Well I'm afraid I can't let you in," the grumpy Toad replied, "My orders were to-"

Suddenly a paragoomba rushed from the bushes, a crazy, drunken glaze in his eyes.

"Let me in! I gotta go see the king! He could be_ dying_!"

The guard pushed him back. Unsheating his sword, the Toad brandished his weapon fiercely.

"GET LOST!" he roared.

Sluggishly, the defeated paragoomba slumped into the masses. The guard placed his sword into its proper place and let out an exasperating sigh.

"Does this happen a lot?" the koopa spoke up.

"Everyday and at least several times a day," he sneered, "...ever since our Princess was kidnapped, the kingdom...has fallen into chaos. So many people are saying different things, the Palace doesn't know what is really happening."

"Maybe...I can help."

A curious look spread across the Toad's face, "How so?"

"If you let me in.. I can get an accurate story and maybe ease some of this confusion. And maybe these random occurances won't happen as much."

The soldier pondered it for a moment. The Toad Town needed the truth. Heck everyone did. Maybe it would be worth it...

He took a good, long look at the koopa, searching him from top to bottom. The koopa was an average size, normal color skin. The only peculiar thing about him was his dark green shell, but that was never a warning sign of danger. Koopa shells can in all colors and sizes. One could never judge them by appearances. Finally this quiet koopa wore a black scarf that gently hugged his neck and dangled near his ankles.

"Alright," the Toad grunted, "I'll let you in. But be swift. If I hear that anything happened-"

"Nothing, will happen, sir," turtle chimed, "I promise."

"Very good," the soldier replied, turning to open the gate.

_Click._

Immediately the guard recognized the sound. Before he even gotten a chance, the koopa had opened the door and went inside, without so much as a sound.

"Good luck, kid," he muttered to himself, before returning to his post.

Though the Toad had scanned the koopa for any signs of suspicious, he had never even noticed the small symbol at the edge of scarf.

Quiet as a mouse, the stranger walked through the Palace Doors, carrying Bowser's mark along his neck.

--

It was quiet.

Far too quiet.

Closing the door behind him, the mysterious koopa slowly strolled into the empty entrance. Each step he took gave off a small, lonely tap. Since it was a miserable day, the light that shone through the glass windows was grim, a bleak sign of little hope. Even the air around him gave the essence of death and despair.

_What happened here?_

Shaking his head slightly, the turtle quickly walked up the grand staircases,and walked into the main hallway.

No one was there.

His nerves becoming uneasy, he rushed solemnly through the corridors. Everywhere seemed so...dead. Not even a servant was seen.

_Mario must have called everyone into hiding._

_He must be preparing his army for today._

The koopa gave a quick shiver. He was almost there. Just one more turn and-

He stopped. After running up the spiraling stairs, he came to the door he wanted to go through.

Placing his claw on the golden knob, he turned it and opened the purple door, creaking in response.

Slowly, he entered the room that had so many memories. The place he did not want to return to.

Maria's.

--

What he saw in the room shook his very essences.

The room was destroyed. It barely looked like a bedroom. The balcony doors were shattered, ripped from its hinges and thrown to the other side of the room. Scorch marks from energy beams decorated the room, and _everything_ was in ruins. There were no traces of life anywhere.

No sign of Maria.

As he stepped over the debris, imagines of the horrible scene flashed in his mind.

_Crash!_

"_Stay back!"_

_Slam!_

_Hiss..._

"_HELP!"_

Panic raced through his heart. The koopa could feel himself getting dizzy. What had he done? He truly believed that separating himself would save her...now she was kidnapped...or _worse._

"...hello?"

His heart stopped. Slowly he turned around to a quiet maid standing in the doorway, a look of confusion spread across her face.

It was Toadette.

"Pardon me, ma'am," he began slowly, trying to keep his shock at a minimum, "I'm a reporter, and I snuck into the castle to seek some information. I apologize for intruding at such a difficult time for our kingdom."

Waiting for some type of respond, the koopa watched the servant carefully. Instead, she said nothing, but stared at him as if her eyes were peering into his very soul. Did she know? Was his disguise in vain? Did she discover that the prince of-

"What kind of information are trying to find? Perhaps I could help."

The koopa let a sigh of relief out. Maybe she could help him.

"Actually I wanted to know what happened...to our...princess, Maria."

"Ah. I see. That's why you have come...I think I have something that may help you," she replied gently, with a glaze in her eyes. What she thinking? The reporter could not even fathom it.

Gracefully, Toadette reached into her patched apron and pulled out a small item that gently jingled against her fingers. The stranger's eyes widened in surprise. He barely suppressed a gasp that was trying to escape his lips.

The golden chain glittered dimly against the grey light fluttering into the room, but it was the small star piece that caught the koopa's attention.

Maria's necklace.

Toadette's eyes softened.

"I believe this is yours, Junior."

--

The koopa prince froze in defeat.

"H-how?" he began.

"I have known for a very long time," she replied quietly.

"Maria, she never told you?"

"No. I have known for about four years. Only until recently did Maria reveal yourself to me, and even then she didn't give your identity away. She just said she had a boyfriend and left it at that."

"But when did you find out...?"

The maid sighed and smiled in remembrance.

"It was Maria's thirteenth birthday. I'm sure you remember that year because that was the one where she had an attack and her entire birthday celebration was cancelled."

Junior closed his eyes and nodded sincerely. He clearly remembered seeing Maria that morning in tears. That party had meant a lot to her simply because she was no longer a child. She was a teenager and wanted to celebrate that accomplishment. But the doctors said she could not because they did not want to risk another attack and the party had to be postpone. Needless to say, she was crushed. Sure the party was going to be rescheduled, but the fact that she could not spend time with anyone on that very day, hurt her.

Toadette continued, "I had felt terrible so that night I decided to sneak some ice cream into her room. Quietly I opened the door and I noticed Maria was still awake but she hadn't seen me. I was about to whisper for her until-"

"I came through the balcony doors," Junior responded.

"Yes, of course I was about to scream for help, but then I saw...Maria's face. She was so happy you were there and then you even surprised her with a small cupcake with a single candle on it. To see her so like that nearly brought tears to my eyes. So I have kept it a secret ever since then."

"I see..." he said quietly.

A small silence rushed over the two. Neither knew what to say. The secret was almost out and the princess was missing. Something had to be done.

"Junior, what happened last night?"

The koopa prince sighed desperately.

"I...broke up with Maria, telling her I never wanted to see her again."

"Why?"

"Because," he snarled.

"Then why did you come back? Because?"

Junior said nothing, but stared at his feet.

"You regret it, don't you?" Toadette whispered, "You regretted the moment you said those words."

Clutching his fists, he mumbled, "You have no idea."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"...I don't know! I don't even know where she went!"

The maid raised her eyebrows. "You mean the koopa kingdom didn't take her?!"

"No far from it. It was King Boo. I know it."

"K-king Boo?! What does he have to do with anything?"

"He's been bothering us for weeks. I don't know his reason, but he wants us to dead. I don't even know where his hideout is... Maria could be anywhere!"

"Where did you first meet him?"

"What?"

Toadette rolled her eyes. "Boos have a tendency to stay in certain areas. Sure, they can travel, but they like dark quiet places."

_Dark places?_

Junior's eyes widened. It was unbelievably obvious.

Boo Woods.

Quickly the koopa prince rushed to the balcony and snapped his fingers. His sadness melted into determination and he ripped off the black scarf he was wearing, transforming back as the Prince of the Koopa Kigndom. Within seconds, the distant whirling of the koopa copter could be heard.

"...Where are you going?"

"To save Maria."

"Then take this," Toadette said, and carefully placed the star necklace into his claw.

Cradling it in his hand, the prince looked at it with sadness before placing it around his wrist. Strangely, it fit perfectly.

Finally Junior's ride was at the balcony, purring with the rush of adrenaline, and soundlessly he jumped in.

"Junior..." Toadette said softly.

"Yes?"

"Bring my princess home."

"I will."

Soaring away, the koopa flew not only to save the meaning of his life, but to meet with fate.

--

The already grey skies suddenly turned dark and crackled with the anger of thunder and deadly storms. Almost immediately the heavens let loose and cried heavily, not sparing anyone who stood outside. The winds howled and wailed. Everyone could feel it, even the trees quivered in apprehension.

A battle was coming.

A battle of death.

The pouring rain covered Junior. Every so often, the skies would illuminate the earth then rumble as if counting down until the destruction of everything. There was myth that if one could count the seconds between the jolts of lightening, you could estimate how from a storm was. Even the prince noticed, the bolts of light were appearing more and more. Death was on it's way.

An eerie aura floated maliciously around Boo Woods. The hateful trees shook everywhere, casting their cruel shadows against the ground. Parking the copter on the outskirts of the forest, Junior quietly lumbered through the ghostly jungle, keeping watch of everything that moved.

--

Junior could have swore he had seen that rock before. It was the third time and the koopa prince grudgingly realized the forest was playing tricks on him. He could here the snickering of dead minions and knew King Boo was here.

"Alright you bastard!" he snarled, "I'm here to save Maria! So where are you?"

Suddenly a pathway quickly formed before Junior. Taking that as a hint, the prince followed the stony path which opened up to clearing.

The trees covered the skies which protected him from the rain, but only a few rays light fell through. But something caught his eyes, a person laying on the ground with white hair.

"Maria" he shouted and rushed forward, but suddenly he was pushed back but several snickering boos.

The prince roared and bared his teeth at the ghosts, but remained where they were.

"Just because I _let_ you find her, doesn't mean I'm going to release her, Junior."

Appearing before the koopa with his deadly grin was King Boo. His eyes glowed a fierce blue and he chuckled once more.

"I'm so glad you could come today. I realize you're busy trying to save your girlfriend, but I just wanted to thank you for coming to visit little old me."

"Shut up, you creep."

"You still don't have any manners. Pity. You shouldn't be saving such things, especially because I have Maria in my grasp. Or have you forgotten already?"

"Let her go!" he snarled.

"I'm afraid not she is very important... for my ritual."

"Ritual? What are you going to do! Why have you been attacking us? What do you want our kingdoms?"

The king let out piercing laugh, that even made Junior shake with fear.

"Tell me, Junior. How does one become a king?"

"I don't want to play games you bastard," the koopa rumbled.

"I'm asking a question," the ghost hissed, "and I'm expecting an answer."

Glaring menacingly at the dead king, Junior mumbled, "You marry a princess or a queen."

"Precisly," King Boo hissed and floated towards Maria and hovered directly over her, "I once had a queen. A beautiful and truly powerful one. That is why I need Maria. You see Junior I don't want your kingdoms. No.... I want the _world._"

Immediately a purple light fell upon the king illuminating his dark features and making them far more intense.

"My minions and all the creatures of shadows, hear me. Tonight is your final night! Today will change forever and today will be our greatest stance-"

The skies turned pitch black rumbled as if the very storm hovered above the forest. Multiple lightening bolts flashed and cracked. In the clearing purple flames formed a circle on the outskirts and allowed Junior to listen to the most terrifying words he had ever heard from King Boo.

"Tonight is the night I will resurrect my wife, the Shadow Queen!"

* * *

Now I'll let everyone suffer with a cliffhanger. This is the big plot twist. (If you couldn't tell.) Next chapter I start explaining stuff and the puzzle will be complete. (I'm actually quite proud of myself, everything fits together pretty well.) I like this chapter because it gives away Toadette's identity and King Boo's motive. Good stuff. Yup, I'm sorry it took long. I don't know when I'll finish chapter 11. I will finish this story however, I have everything planned out. So this story won't go hiatus. WOO! Alright thanks for reading and I'll see everyone at 11.


	11. Chapter 11: An Unexpected Tale of Love

Oh my gosh... it's been like two months since an update. I'm sooo sorry everyone. XD School and drawing and midterms and vacation all bundled into one equals very lazy author. hahahaha I'm still here. I'm not dead :P lol Did you guys miss me?

Anyways, Chapter 11 here at last! Everything starts to click and turns all topsy-turvy. The story begins with a small prologue, don't worry we'll get back to Maria and Junior. That's all I'm gonna say.

Also, if you check my Deviantart account, I posted some pictures for Super Maria. Just check out my gallery and click on the folder for some crappy fanart pictures. hahaah

Maria is mine. I totally wished Nintendo would buy her from me, but that's never gonna happen. XD

--

Over a thousand years ago, there once was a prince who did not wish to be king.

Well, with a queen that is.

His name was Beauregard Orion Ortega. Many bachelorettes admired him for his handsome features and great intelligence.

He hated them all.

They were weak and ignorant.

Rumors flew that the prince would inherit the throne without an heir. The ruling king and queen made it their duty to stop such gossip.

They had to find a princess.

--

Beauregard strolled through the Palace garden, a grim look painted upon his face. The garden, however, provided a relax atmosphere for the prince and soon the depressing gleam in his eyes melted away. Walking under a large oak tree for shade, Beauregard leaned against the study base and closed his eyes in frustration.

It was going to be one of _those_ days.

"Perfect," he hissed sarcastically, "Another princess for me to spit at."

Of course, a king should come and visit his kingdom and -of course- he must bring his _only_ daughter. It truly sickened him and he started to think how long it would take him to upset this new girl.

"Only a matter of minutes," he snickered cruelly.

_Creak._

The prince's ears perked up by the familiar sound of the gate opening and shutting. Not wanting to be bothered by anyone at the moment. Beauregard hide behind the tree and waited for the unknown visitor to appear.

Usually the prince could recognize the sound people made when their heels clicked the pathway. However, the peculiar noise of sharp clicks intrigued him. Whoever was wearing those shoes made them sound like a knife scraping against stone.

Instead of jumping out and surprising the mysterious shoe-wearer, young man waited for them to enter the rose garden where he could easily spy on them without any notice.

Suddenly, the clicks stop and for a moment, the prince felt a chill run up his spine. He could feel eyes looking into the back of his head almost as if those very eyes were burning through the wood.

The sensation lasted only a minute or so beyond the sharp tapping of knifes returned and the rose garden gate opened and closed with a small _click._

Now, he was hooked. Beauregard had never felt anything like that in his entire life.

He loved it.

--

Peeking over the white rose bushes, the prince tried to get a better view of who this stranger was. Finally decided this person was the bachlorette he was going to marry...if he agreed. All he could see was a dark purple dress with golden embroidery embellishing every edge of it. Finally she had pink locks the curled sharply at the end. They were so thin...almost like paper...

_Snap._

Beauregard felt a branch from the bushes crack in his fists and, immediately, he ducked down to avoid the girl's hateful gaze. Again, the fearful watching sensation fell upon him, and prince shuddered in excitement. However, he wondered if the princess had seen him or just simply thought it was bird.

"For a so-called 'great prince', you do like to hide a lot. Is how you woo your lady friends?" an icy voice hissed.

That voice... that was fear. The prince could not believe how petrifying this girl sounded. It was a block of ice being hammered into his soul. Each word was a heavy swing at his heart. Such power...such hatred. He then looked up and realized why this cruel voice had sounded so close. The princess was looking at him with the darkest eyes he had ever seen.

Black.

Inhumanly black.

She was beautiful, yet evil. A rose, but surrounded by thorns. Untouchable, but everyone feared to touch her.

This was power.

In one graceful movement, the prince stood upon his feet and calmly looked his equal in the eyes.

"My apologies, Princess....?"

"Shi. Princess Shi," she hissed quietly.

"Again, my apologies, I'm sure you have heard I'm not the one for marriage. I'm so sick of meeting new bachlorettes that I don't even meet them anymore. I just watch them from behind."

"And you can see their personalities from "watching" them?"

"Of course, I can sense how weak they are. I have hated every single girl I have met. They all disgust me."

At that moment Beauregard noticed about Shi's eyes. They glistened maliciously, but it was not exactly a truly evil look. It was...happy, as if she had found something worthy in this world. It dawned on the prince at that moment.

She felt the exact same way.

"So, Prince Stalker," Shi finally said with a sly smile, "What did you think of me?"

The prince's eyes hazed for a second. Thoughts flooded his mind, and only one word could come to his mind. A word he swore he would never use. Never towards a girl. Never towards his future-wife. But a cruel, merciless smile spread far and wide across his demonic countenance, and he hissed his accursed word.

"Perfect."

--

When people speak of the legend of these two beings, they begin to shudder and hush at the sound of that couple. For after the marriage of Beauregard and Shi, a dark time descended upon the kingdom, a period that lasted over four hundred years. However, this era of shadows and death is never spoken of because of frightening thing.

The King and Queen were immortal.

Upon their marriage, they did something terrible. Something that would make their reign everlasting and casting their peasants into darkness.

They sold their souls to the dark arts.

The Queen ruled the shadows and shunned everything bright and cheerful, causing their people to lose their minds and kill themselves by the masses, or she sent her minions to slaughter them. When they died she would take their mindless corpses and create vast and terrible armies.

His majesty controlled death. When people died, they died miserably, their souls filled with angry. The King took over those emotions and kept those wandering souls on earth, forever to do his binding.

The kingdom was trapped. Body and Soul.

Even death was not an escape.

The people needed hope.

But hope was dying...

Then from the darkness, there was light.

A hero.

He wasn't the strongest.

Or the wisest.

No.

He was hope.

That's what the people needed.

Hope, the ever-desiring light.

The hero knew magic that was powerful and benign. With his flaming powers, he sent the king and queen back to their castle, cringing in fear. The people then took it upon themselves to do what had to be done.

They stormed the castle.

To them it did not care what happened next. This was their moment. It was now or never. They would take this incredible risk, just to see their fears disappear for one moment. It was now.

When they reached the throne room, only the king remained, a cruel smile plastered upon his face. He fought till the very end, and the great hero placed a curse upon the king.

Just like his slaves, he would never have an afterlife. A white blob to haunt the earth looking for a purpose. All his minions would suffer the same fate, and also to those who died with angry or a desire laced into their hearts.

However.

The triumphant kingdom could not defeat the other important ruler.

The Queen and her three daughters had disappeared and for the next fifty years they would wait for the right opportunity to arise...

--

As to where King Beauregard and his minions vanished, no one knows. In time however the descents of his minions took upon his initials, remembering the fear he inflicted just by looking at people. They wanted to do the same.

As for the hero of hope, he vanished into history a name never written down or remembered. No one could recall his title, only the physical qualities of a round nose and being incredible short in stature for his incredible power.

--

"Mother?"

"Yes, Beldam?"

"Will we ever be able to remove the curse from Father?"

The Queen of Shadows looked at her daughter sadly. Then, she looked at her three loyal heirs with a twisted cruel pride. Her eldest Beldam, looked strongly like her father. White hair that hung sharply around her head. Narrow red eyes that piereced through anyone's heart. She was the perfect ruler for a kingdom.

Then there was Marilyn, the strongest, but not the brightest. She never said much, but proved to be worthy of acceptance by her own mother.

Finally there was Vivian, the youngest. Barely able to walk and talk, and was full of innocence. It sickened the Queen to look her, but eventually she would come of age and then she could "fix" her daughter to become as cunning and dark as she was.

"...Mother?" Beldam hissed once more.

"Yes, Beldam. We will. We will plunge this world into eternal darkness then I will revive your father, and we shall forever remain in utter despair.

"Guh!" Marilyn giggled maliciously.

As the queen spoke, the sun rose up to begin a new day. The rays began to touch the town the royal family was sailing to. The rich city was filled with vast people. It would all be hers to sink into the shadows.

A new beginning.

A new reign.

A new era.

"My Three Lovely Sirens," the mother cried upon their small boat, "I brought you hear to show you the new chance for us. This is the place where everything shall begin and end."

"I welcome you to Rogueport."

--

"It has been so long my queen. I miss you so," King Boo hissed.

Maria remained unconscious on the damp ground as Junior struggled to inch closer to her.

"Why are you doing this?!" he bellowed, "You can't even summon her! She was destroyed by Maria's father! She's gone. _Annihilated._"

With the red flash of his eyes, the dead king brought forth chains from the earth and binded the koopa prince, making him unable to fight back.

"That's where you are wrong. Heh heh heh... You see my queen was never stupid. When she realized, she was going to be defeated, she left a shadow of her power insider the one she had possessed. A piece of her heart, for lack of a better word. I thought when Princess Peach had died, the piece had remained imbedded in her body.... however..."

King Boo looked down at the sleeping princess deeply, almost as if he had lost something and suddenly regained it.

"...However that night when I surrounded you in this very forest, I noticed this girl's peculiar traits."

"Like what?" Junior roared at him, "I don't care about any of this! I want you to realize Maria right now-"

"SILENCE!" The royal ghost hissed, "It's rude to interrupt a king, and I'm very busy with your lover at the moment. Shut up or I'll summon a muzzle for your ugly snout."

The boo's statement left the prince speechless and he continued with his story.

"Maria... her eyes are an intense purple and her hair is so.... pure. I have never seen anything like that in my life. Only such dramatic changes could be made...by inheriting my queen's heart. Now I'll let you talk for a second. How do you think such a thing is possible?"

Junior growled ruthlessly, " I don't think it's possible. It takes months to transfer something demonic like that and Maria would have to incredibly close to her mother... unless"

Junior's eyes widened at the thought that crawled into his mind and his cursed himself for thinking so.

"Unless what?" King Boo said, grinning mercilessly.

"Unless Peach was pregnant with her...for nine months."

"Exactly. My queen was no fool. Even a sliver of her heart had the instinct to bury itself inside the essence of a weak and pure being. There was plenty of time and a child is perfect as a host because of its simply ignorance. So as Maria grew, so did the heart, and now it is ripe for the picking."

"How are you positive it's really there?! Just because she has a unique physical appearance doesn't mean she is holding the heart of a demon queen!"

"You're very right Junior. Which is why I left my insignia on your arm."

"..You mean?"

"Precisely. You becoming a dragon was a test for Maria. I wanted to see if she did had the Shadow's queen heart. Unfortunately, it failed. You, being the weakling that you are, felt the love she had for you and it flopped. So I had thought I was incorrect until..."

"Peach's grave," the prince growled, finishing the king's sentence.

"You're doing wonderful Junior. Yes, yes. When I had found Peach's body, I was overjoyed and I had accomplished my goal, but Maria blew it away..._literally._ Then I realized that _she_ did it with such destructive power. She probably could have killed you if I was lucky. Unfortunately, Maria's health isn't in the best condition, considering she has a demon heart all her life, but beggars can't be choosers. So here I am, ready to conquer the world and no one can stop me. I suppose it's high time I begin my little game."

Before Junior could even open his mouth, the great king released a deadly screech that shaked the surrounding forests. The trees howled their painful laments of doom and thunder crackled in sky as the clouds and the air turned a crimson red. Even the minions of the dead ruler froze and watched the dark ritual being performed.

The once purple flames floated closer to King Boo flickering blacks and reds in the thick air. Rocking his body back and forth, his eyes blazing vivid sapphire, the ghost spoke his demonic chant. Each word cursing the heavens and send shivers up Junior's spine who was paralyzed with fear.

_O, Demonic Queen who dwells,_

_In the Darkest Pits of Hells_

_I Summon Your Black Soul_

_To Let Your Reign Unfold_

_Let Me Say Your Name_

_To Begin this Slaughtering Game..._

Calling upon his dark arts, King Boo let out another deadly scream and two large ghostly claws appeared, each burning an intense blue.

Suddenly when all seemed lost, the most peculiar thing occurred.

Maria woke up.

Her eyes fluttered opened and she tried to make sense of her surroundings. It didn't take her long to realize the ghost floating above was about to do something bad and the moment she saw Junior she bolted to him her arms stretched out.

With all his might, the koopa prince reached out to await his princess's hand which flew closer to him each nanosecond. Everything slowed down in a timeless, haunting motion. Maria inched closer and closer, eyes wide with fear. Her body lunged toward him in final despair attempt.

Only to be swept away by fate's deadly blue hands.

"NO!" the princess cried and her body was dragged back to the great king.

Taking his free hand, King Boo plunged it into the girl's chest to grab what he desired.

"MARIA!" Junior roared, terrified at what he was witnessing.

Maria's body arched back in absolute horror, while eyes rolled back in pain. Her mouth gaped open, yet no sound came out. It was a silent scream that no one could hear, yet her pain was understood.

Her soul was being ripped apart.

Her hair faded into a dead brown and her once happy purple eyes froze into icy blue that showed no emotion.

After what seemed an eternity, the blue claw of death brought forth the object of desire. What the koopa saw, he would never forget.

The heart was a black crystal nearly the size of his fist, but...

It pulsed with an intense purple electric and _throbbed_.

It was alive.

"HEH HEH HEH HEH HEEEEEEE"

A deadly smiled crossed the King's face. It was not just of pure evil. It was hatred. It was glee. It was the destruction of everything. It was the beginning of death.

It was hell.

"WITH THIS," he cried in a murderous scream, "I WILL DESTROY REALITY!"

Then he took the great heart and plunged it into Maria's motionless body.

--

Immediately Maria's body was reanimated and convulsed as if she was being tear apart. Her hair returned to her brillant snow but it grew and curled into unnaturally thin locks. Her voice, no longer lost, piereced the ears of the forest and shook the very earth, in an unholy cry of protest.

Junior could take it no more.

He could feel his angry taking over him. The pain on his arm growing stronger. Everything was turning red. He wanted to kill everything that was hurting his love.

Even killing her to make the pain stop.

The great koopa morphed into his monstrous dragon form once more and broke his shackles, charging right at King Boo before being blinded by a dark and evil light.

--

Maria stood before him. A smile painted upon her face. Yet Junior continued to growl fiercely at her.

Her eyes burned a hellish red.

"Hello... My King," an inhuman voice hissed from Maria, each syllable stabbing Junior's heart.

"It had been a long time, My Dearest," the ghost replied.

But King Boo was no longer the white blob of fear. He had returned to his human form. A royal blue outfit decorated his body and his long white hair fluttered calmly at his shoulders. At once he reached out for Maria beckoning her to his side.

Without warning, Junior swiped his claw at he couple, furiously at what was happening, but suddenly stopped. He...couldn't move!

"What a wonderful gift!" The Shadow Queen cackled with glee, "A pet dragon! I have missed my other three so dearly."

"Anything for you, of course."

With the snap of her hand, dark purple chains wrapped around the prince's wrists and legs, immobilizing him once more.

"You see, Junior," the Black Ruler hissed, "I control you now. You will never see the light of day again. This world is going to be intoxicated with blood and death, and..."

A dark grin cursed the Queen's mouth.

"Your precious Maria is mine."

--

Yes, cliffhanger. Again, sorry sorry sorry!!!! Ughhhh I don't know when the next chapter is coming up, but I'll get to it. Alright big plot twister is done!!! And the meaning of my title is complete! Not only did the title refer to Junior and Maria, but the Shadow Queen and King Boo! (Who have guessed lol) Also I realize that in Paper Mario:TTYD, the Shadow Sirens were created by the queen. But someone had asked what KB and SQ's child would look like and immediately Beldam came to mind so the Shadow Sirens are the royal couple's daughters :3 Maybe I'll do a short story on how they came to be shadows of themselves. I hope I did ok with the transformation part. I think I failed. Criticism would be great. Reviews are wonderful! Thank you guys for staying with me. Until Chapter 12!


	12. Chapter 12: To Feel Wrong

* * *

Yes! Chapter 12! Alright I'm going away on vacation so maybe I'll use my free time to work on this story. This chapter is kinda boring, I dunno. I really don't like it. (I couldn't even think of a title at first.) But you guys tell me. Anywoo here we go! **Chapter 12: To Feel Wrong**

* * *

Bowser could feel it.

Something was wrong.

And it was definitely not the fact that he was at the border of the Mushroom Kingdom, waiting for Mario to arrive.

His koopa instincts were working overtime. This was it. The _Final_ Battle. The fight to end all the fighting.

Once and for all.

Except everything felt so wrong.

"Sire!" Kammy screeched, interrupting his thoughts, "I have two urgent messages: one from the castle and a scout report."

Bowser merely grunted. Taking that as an "Ok," Kammy continued, "Your Badness, Your son, Bowser Jr. is missing. He has disappeared since early this morning and has not returned."

Immediately the koopa king closed his eyes in frustration. _Of course_, Junior would run off at a time like this. He knew this was coming! Bowser, however, grew more fearful of his current location. God, what if he was foolish enough to go onto the battle...?

"...Lord Bowser?" his assistant broke in with gentle tap.

"Scout Report."

Sighing the old witch began," Mario continues his march. Estimated time of arrival: 10 minutes. But the scout near Boo Forest saw something frightening that is growing out of the forest... That's what worries me..."

"Well what is it?"

"Sire... castle is emerging from Boo Forest."

"...And?"

"Oh Bowser can you not feel it!" Kammy snapped, "I sense a dark energy pulsing from that place. We should not be here! Our forces should be used for more important matters, like exploring the mysterious report and your son! ...Bowser?!"

The king did not reply, even gave the appearance of ignoring the old witch. The great koopa kept his eyes shut and though heavily over everything had done and he was about to do. Maybe this war... was stupid. Maybe he could have had a peaceful kingdom and not be so distant with everything that meant something to him...

_Junior..._

When had he and his son really talked about...,well, anything? He didn't even know what Junior liked these days...

Something was wrong. No doubt about it.

But.

"Kammy, I don't care about mysterious fungus or whatever growing in a forest. Junior's location is no concern of mine at this moment."

Growling fiercely into the distance, Bowser cursed under his breath and muttered,

"We stay here."

-----------------------

Looking on the dark horizen, as the freezing rain feel, a red armada marched forward, their hatred pouring through their walk. Each soldier was adorned with the accursed symbol of green mushroom that Bowser had grown to hate.

Suddenly, the lightening stopped. The thunder ceased.

Death had arrived.

"Mario," the king whispered.

This was wrong.

No. That wasn't the word.

A feeling of restlesssness rippled through King Boo, and everything that had happened came rushing back with horrible waves of guilt.

Guilt.

That was the word.

Why was he guilt-ridden?

"My Lord," a servant hissed, breaking his thoughts.

"What is it?" he snapped. Being disturbed was something every minion of his knew not to do. One boo had tried that and disappeared for two months, only to be found in broad daylight mumbling about strawberry cakes. So whatever it was, had better been important.

"My apologies, Your Execenllency," the shadow servant replied without stutter, "but, Her Highness requests your presence in the throne room at once. She needs your opinion about something going on outside the forest."

"Very well," the king coldly said.

Gracefully he stood up from his desk and followed the servant out of the study. As he walked down the grim hallways, he tried to push away all thoughts he had merely moments ago, but word one continued to burn ever so fiercely into his mind.

Guilt.

------------

The king pushed the throne door with ease and walked into the dark room. Usually the only light in this room would be the purple glow from the large chandelier that hung above the actual thrones. However, a red ball hovered in the center, throwing its blood upon the walls. Standing before this bleeding crystal ball was the queen staring careful at it. As King Boo walked closer to her, he realized what she was looking at. The ruby sphere was a portal, for lack of a better word, but more importantly the image in the orb was what caught his eye.

It was Mario and Bowser.

Surrounded by a bloody battlefield.

"What do you think, Beauregard?" Shi whispered quietly.

He turned to his queen to respond, but froze upon the sight of her.

The ruby light that basked her was sickening, but it was blackness of her eyes and the malicious curl of her smile that shocked the king so deeply.

He was staring at Maria.

A blood-thirsty Maria.

Another wave of guilt blasted through him. Again, the same events flashed before him like a movie, and he felt sick.

Immediately, he pushed the thought aside. Not letting a drop of emotion show the king answered slyly.

"What do you think of it, my queen?"

Her lips curled back into an even darker smile, and faced King Boo with absolute glee.

"It's perfect entertainment. I was merely going to ask whether or not you think we should intervene."

"I assume you do not wish to do so."

"Of course not," She hissed and clasped her hands together, "That would be a waste of time and take away from the enjoyment. Look at the determination in their eyes. They are going to fight to the death. Even their soldiers will die for them. It's so...wonderful."

"However," she whispered, her face turning in demonic frown, "There is a town outside of this forest. I wish to annihilate it. No one will obey me... I want to _kill them all_."

Her gloved hand morphed into one of her dark claws and her eyes burned a intense purple. The orb now showed the queen's current target.

Toad Town and all of the area around.

King Boo's eyes widened. Everyone would be destroyed! The demonic Maria was going to kill them all. If she ever awoke from this possession and realized her crime, the princess would be heartbroken...even suicidal...

"WAIT!" he cried.

Immediately the Shadow Queen turned to him in deep shock.

She snarled menacingly, "What did you just say?!"

The king raced for a response and quickly turned the situation around.

"My dear, why waste your powers on a worthless village? Send out your new pet dragon. Should he get bloody, you can just kill him."

The queen said nothing, yet stared at him. Those black eyes bore through the king, bringing those memories from long ago. Except now, it was different. His princess was not the same princess and it disgusted him to look upon the face of his queen and see innocent Maria, masked by hatred and despair.

The Shadow Queen's face relaxed after a moment, and spoke calm to him, "Yes, it would be a waste. Of power _and_ excitement. To see a dragon ripe people limb from limb would be quite a show. Unfortunately... this new dragon is a piece of garbage. I had him locked up in the dungeons for disobedience. I was going to execute him later bu-"

"Allow me, my dear," King Boo bowed. Another splash of guilt had attacked and had given him a sinister idea. "This monster has caused me _many_ problems. If I cannot persuade him to obey me, I will personally kill him and get you a new pet. You enjoy your show here."

Another childish yet cruel face spread across Shi and clapped her hands in approval.

"I shall await your return. Do not delay for too long...or I might destroy those two kingdoms dueling," she finished with a snicker.

"Of course, my love."

-----------------

Junior feel weak.

Everything felt sore. Every movement he made another wound would reopen, blood trickling down with it. Not like he could really move though. Every inch of his body was cuffed and chained to the cell around him. Even his snout was locked. He couldn't roar, bite or even cry.

But that didn't mattered.

He had lost Maria. The one thing that he cared for, vanished before him and was captured by Hell's hands.

What was the point of living? He could not save her now...

_Click._

In front of him was the large cell door that he barely squeezed through. Next to the door was a smaller one. One made for a person, and indeed an person had entered through that door. Trying his best to snarl at the monster before him, Junior produced a growl and glared at King Boo who looked relatively amused.

"Don't even try you great brute. What makes you think you have a chance against me? Your girlfriend was only able to stand up against me with my ghost form. Now that I am at my greatest power, what makes you think you could even live for more than five minutes?"

The koopa prince stopped growling upon hearing this, but kept his eyes fixed to the king. Instead of continuing his amused grin, King Boo softened his face which now looked saddened at the sight of Junior. Putting his hand into his pocket, King Boo pulled out a small glittering piece jewelry. It was simple a golden chain and star as the center piece.

It was Maria's.

"This fell from your wrist as you charged during the ritual," the king began gently, admiring the star charm, "It's a beautiful necklace. It's a simple gift, but it tells me how you view Maria and how much she means to you.... You really love her....Don't you?"

An eerie silence befell the two and Junior watched as king stared at the necklace, lost in thought and emotions. With a simple sigh, King Beauregard raised his hand, and whispered quietly to himself.

"I guess I have no other options then."

He snapped his fingers.

All the restraints on Junior faded away.

The koopa prince froze as the king looked upon him with a sad smile.

"I will let you go. If you promise me something: You save the one person I love."

The skies continued to glow red and purple above the gloomy castle. Everyone could feel the dark energy flowing from the forest. But no one, but Bowser Junior could heard the request that escaped King Boo's lips and echoed in the dungeon.

"Maria."

* * *

HOW'S THAT FOR A CLIFFHANGER!!!! MUWAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! Alright I'm done. Take this as you will. I'll explain in the next chapter. I hope the next one doesn't suck. lol. I really really really wish I could have made this chapter into two. (I'm glad I put that Bowser part in though.) King Boo's only been king for a couple hours and he's given up. Hahaha I'm not sure how I'm going to write the next chapter simply because there will be a lot going on. I hope I can split it up at a good part... or smoosh it all together.

That's all for now! CHAPTER 13 NEXT WHAT WHAT?!


	13. Chapter 13: The Final Moments of Time

Hey guys, hahaha I got around to another chapter. Yay me…..Yeah School has been absolute heck. So needlessly to say, Super Maria has not been updated. Please don't expect another chapter for the next three weeks either because my exams will be coming up so I must concentrate on them. Actually I'm looking at the outline for this story and I may have about three or four chapters left. Wow. It's going to be one year for this story soon…

Alright chapter 13 was very difficult for me to begin. I don't know why. Stupid writer's block. Haha Here goes nothing I suppose.

Oh Maria belongs to meeeeeeee. Lol

* * *

"No. You don't."

King Boo looked up at the once Koopa Prince. The sudden grunt from the usually-silent dragon surpised him. Unable to snap back , the dark royal muttered, "…what?"

Casting a sour glare at the ghost, Junior whispered, "You never…loved her… If you had… you wouldn't have done this…"

King Boo released a great sigh. His eyebrows knit together and his face melted into a complex expression that gave him the arua of absolute despair. Averting his eyes from Junior, the king paused. When he finally spoke, his voice was delicate, like glass. Breaking it would cause it to shatter into a million pieces. Even the air around him froze as he began.

"…Perhaps you are right. Maybe I did not love her. But I did treasure everything about her. Not just her beauty… Her very being… Her kindness… Yes, the way she looked at you. That's what sparked it. I never once saw that girl back away in fear from you…."

"…Were you… jealous of me?" the koopa prince asked surprisingly.

"In a way… yes, I was jealous of you. Maria never looked at you as if you were a monster. She would hold your hand with affection. Kiss you ever so gently. …I wanted that happiness. To find someone who would look at me, not as white blob of fear... However, power got a hold of me. I thought reviving my wife through Maria would give me both. Without a doubt… I was wrong."

A chilling air descended upon room. The king still refused to make eye contact with Junior. He merely stood, glaring at his hands which curling and uncurling into fists.

"Will you save her Junior? I'm not asking you to save her so I may be with her, but so you may rightful take your place…at her side forever…"

"Always."

King Boo gave the koopa prince a sad smile, his dull black eyes filled with bright blue tears, and with a snap of his fingers created a portal, large enough for Junior to walk through.

"There is no possible way to defend my queen by hand-to-hand combat," the dark royal commanded, wiping the joyous rain from his eyes, "The only way to break my queen is through her heart, which it is Maria.

Wrapping Maria's star necklace around the koopa's claw, King Boo gave him his last words of encouragement.

"If anyone can bring her back, it is you. It will be a long fight, but I believe you can prove your invincibility, Bowser Junior."

With a silent nod, the koopa prince spread his wings and flew through the portal.

_Thump._

King Boo slumped to the ground, his body shaking and merely released a soft moan.

"…Forgive me…"

-----------------------

It was quiet.

_Too_ quiet.

Nearly an hour had faded away, and the Shadow Queen still was furious at the stupid little village. Impatiently she tapped the arm of her throne and her black eyes twitched miserably.

No violence.

No bloody gore fest.

Nothing.

Where was her goddamned entertainment?

"Well enough is enough. I'm going to shred that damned dragon and kill the worthless village myself."

The moment she stood up from her throne. The castle shook relentlessly, slamming the Shadow Queen against the wall. It took her a split second to process everything and when she regained composure she noticed her forehead was bleeding. Immediately her eyes burned an unholy, intense purple.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!"

A servant burst through the room and bowed quickly at the infuriated ruler.

"My lady… the dragon has escaped…"

That was the last straw. Seizing the minion by the throat with her claws, the Shadow Queen effortlessly broke the servant's neck and watched his sporadic movements cease.

"Of all the goddamned things to go wrong. I have had enough! I will take care of this pest… MYSELF."

The queen's shadow slowly inched itself upon the wall behind her, each second growing larger and larger. However instead of retaining the form of a woman the shadow twisted itself into a slender, shapeless figure with large claws and unfurling hair. Then without warning, the shadow became a life of its own! Peeling off the wall and wrapping its dark embrace around its host body. This was the Shadow Queen's true form.

"Now, " a dark an empty voice boomed, "I will finish this."

-------------------

Bowser could barely breath. The stench of death suffocated his lungs and nearly devoured him whole.

There was barely any green left on the battlefield. Just awful shades of red and brown. There was once red shade however that made the king feel worse.

The red-clad king who stood before him.

"Mario," the great koopa roared.

"Getting a-tired, Bowser?" the Italian retorted.

"Never."

"Good."

Again they rushed forward each screaming in protest, and awaiting another chance to slit each other's throat.

But that moment did not come. The piercing scream of fear penetrated their murderous thoughts.

"GOOD LORD! IT- IT'S THE DRAGON! …...oh my god IT'S THE SHADOW QUEEN!"

War rarely, if ever, stops during the final moments of a battle. It's the climax. The turning point to see who will lose, for there are never winners in war. But at that moment, a great battle was being fought. One that made even the two kings stop and watch the two powerful entities attacking each other.

One of good and evil.

-----------------------------

Junior could barely see where he was going now. Three times the Queen had attacked him and three times he had received the full power of her dark claws. One across his back, across his chest and finally down upon his left eye. He could barely dodge her let alone, counterattack.

"DEAD HANDS!"

Immediately Junior headed to the skies to avoid the dark hands which seemed to endlessly reach for him. Spinning around the prince spit fire onto them and aimed his breath towards the small host encased by the shadow.

He missed.

However, he did not listen to the cackling of the dark royal. He heard something else. So many times, he had heard this sound and he could never forget it.

Someone was crying.

The Shadow Queen had not seemed to noticed, for she merely sent another attack upon the koopa prince who barely escape the line of fire. He simply concentrated of discovering the source of the sound.

Again, he pulged towards the demon, this time coming inches from the possessed body. Reaching out to bite the shadow, Junior froze and quickly jumped back.

He had heard something. It was faint. But he heard it. King Boo had stated there was no chance he could defeat the queen. It was impossible. She was far too strong.

But…

There was someone he could reach. Not through violence. But love.

A small voice, yes, but one that was able to reach him, who at a one point was inches from his face. The quiet voice that whispered one word that shook Junior's very essence. One word alone.

"…Junior…"

* * *

I don't know why I liked this chapter, but I really did and I actually typed this in one sitting. It just came to me. I hope everyone enjoyed. Yes, King Boo is a creeper, and when he says forgive me; that doesn't necessarily mean just Maria or Bowser Junior. Hee hee hee. I love symbolical stuff. XD I felt it was a little short, but I definitely wanted to end it here. Until chapter 14 comes out, relax and I hope to see everyone the next round.


	14. Chapter 14: How to Break a Heart

Exams are over! Woooooooo =3 I'm so excited for summer! Thank you everyone for being so patience! Here is to Chapter 14! I tried to make this the best chapter yet. Reading early parts of the story, I realized my writing is changing, little by little. So hopefully when I finish this story, I'll be even better and write some more! (I do have other fanfictions planned so hopefully I'll get them into gear.)

Chapter 14: How to Break a Heart! GOOOOO!

Guess what? No not chicken butt. I OWN MARIA. HA.

* * *

Junior recognized that voice anywhere. After hearing the angelic voice that rippled through his soul for so many years, nothing could eradicate that memory. Not even the queen of darkness. No, he would never let himself forget. That voice. Or the owner.

Maria.

------

"Maria..."

Again, she heard her name. The sound trembled her very being. The first time she had hear it, she thought it was a hallucination. But if that voice was just an illusion, her mind was pretty damn good at playing tricks. Bolting her head up to find the source, Maria's hope was crumbled by everything she saw. Actually, everything she didn't see.

Nothing.

She was surrounded a dark nothing.

She had never felt so alone.

Her head began to throb and she resumed her uncomfortable position to clear her thoughts. It was the third time she had heard _**his **_voice. However, the darkness that encased her, curled even tighter around her making her gasp for breath. Now she knew how a rat felt before being crushed by a boa constrictor. Absolutely terrified. That never ending fear of being consumed by a stronger force.

And now she was dinner.

"_I swore that was...his...voice. I must be losing my mind,"_ the princess thought and glanced at the abyss of hell around her, _"I have lost my mind."_

"Hee that's right. You're just an girl who has lost her will, her soul, her body as well as her mind."

Immediately Maria cringed at the red demonic eyes shining before her. The Shadow Queen stood before her in her original human form. Because Maria was locked away subconsciously, the dark royal was able to manipulate her environment as well as Maria's perception. The princess's hair shielded all eye contact and she shut eyes in desperate fear. Just staring at the girl made the Shadow Queen cackle with a twisted glee.

"I haven't done anything to you yet, and here you are curling up into a ball like some weakling."

"You're going to hurt me."

"Aw precious," the dark royal whispered, crouching to the princess's ear, "Why would I do that? You have given me your body...You're such a...wonderful slave...so obedient."

"Get away from me!" the girl cried out, still avoiding the cruel gaze of the queen, "I'm not some object you can abused!"

Immediately the queen took one hand dug deep into the girl's cheek, making tears and blood flow freely. The queen hissed happily, "Oh, but you are my dear. You are just a tool, perfect for me to use. Nothing will ever change that."

"...Junior will save me."

The Shadow Queen nearly doubled over in a horrendous laughter that seemed to echo perpetually across the vast darkness. She squeezed the restraints around Maria tighter and barked a nasty reply that left the princess pale.

"That monster will never save you. I'm going to kill him."

"...Y-you wouldn't?!"

"I would."

"No! I won't let you! JUNIOR WILL SAVE ME!"

"SILENCE" the queen roared and smashed the girl's head to the floor. "You _**will**_obey me, slave. If I have to beat you an inch from death..." a great claw morphed from her hand and hovered over Maria's face. A murderous gleam shined in the queen's eyes.

"...Then so be it."

"Luckily, you won't get that far, you monstrous bitch."

Instantly the Shadow Queen turned around, only to fly and tumble back several feet. Maria stared, mouth a gape, at the creature who stood before her. "Junior..." she whispered as more tears fell.

Quickly, koopa released her from her chains and wiped the tears away.

"...H-how did you find me?" Maria began.

"Simple: I followed your voice. I guess because we are trapped in separate entities are thoughts were able to collide. Pretty cool, huh?"

Small snickered sneak out the princess's mouth and hugged the koopa prince even tighter. "I was so afraid, I had lost you, Junior..."

"I'm here now. So everything will be alri--"

Junior couldn't finish his thought, however. Reaching from the shadows were thousands of death hands and the couple knew they had only one target: Maria. The koopa prince darted the attack before he was suddenly attacked by the Shadow Queen herself. Jumping back and forth, Junior tried his best to avoid the attacks of the demon and protect Maria from the merciless dead hands.

Then he tripped.

"NO MARIA!" he roared.

But it was too late, the dead hands grabbed Maria and slowly pulled her to a dark hole that had opened up.

"Oops," the Shadow Queen hissed, "Well what are you going to do now, Junior?"

King Boo's advice flashed through his mind and quickly he hollered to the princess.

"Listen to me Maria! Only you can conquer the Shadow Queen!"

"No, I can't!" the girl cried out as more hands pulled her under, "I'm too weak."

"No you're no-- AH!" The Shadow Queen slashed across his shell and quickly he stood at up and began his charade of dodging again. "I believe in you," he yelled, "You can defeat her."

"I don't have my psychic powers! There's no wa--"

"Maria! You never needed them!" the koopa prince cried out as he received another attack, this time cutting his eye. Before he fell down he cried out once more,"Your heart is stronger than any of that. You can do anything; regardless of what anyone else says." With that he tossed the only possession he had and it landed near the girl's hand. Maria clutched the object and stared at it in complete shock.

It was her star necklace. A sign of invincibility.

"...Junior...I-i."

"I BELIEVE YOU!" he roared.

Finally the Shadow Queen took her claw and scratched across the prince's unprotected stomach. Junior collapsed to ground, bleeding and growling in pain. Then without warning koopa's eyes slowly closed and his movements stopped. The dark royal stood over the corpse and laughed victoriously.

Maria screamed in protest. Dear god Junior was dead! She flailed her arms, pushed and grabbed anything, but the dead hands continued to drag her down. It was over. Even the Shadow Queen glanced over and smirked evilly. "It's all over now little girl. I. Win."

Maria finally closed her eyes and accepted defeat.

She waited for the darkness to swallow her whole. But one little voice danced around her mind.

_I always be there for ya, Maria._

Junior never doubted her.

Ever.

"Junior..." she whispered holding the jewelry in hand, and with that the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom sunk beneath the depths of hopelessness.

_**I can.**_

_Crack._

The Shadow Queen turned to sudden rupture in the wall. Her eyes widened as the crack leaked in something she dreaded.

Light.

_Crack._

Another one.

_Crack._

And another one.

_Crack. Crack. Crack_.

"Oh my god..." the queen hissed, "WHY IS THIS PLACE COLLASPING?!"

"Because my mind is breaking free."

For once, in all of her eternal life, the Shadow Queen slowly turned around to see Maria standing before her, her entire body shook.

She trembled with fear.

The dark royal was afraid.

"Y-you goddamned brat!" she roared, "I WILL KILL YOUUUUIUUUU!" Rushing forth, claws ready to attack, Queen Shi barely noticed the princess had placed one hand in front of herself.

That was she needed to do.

And that was the last thing the Shadow Queen ever saw.

With the touch of hand, Maria's dark world shattered into a million pieces, leaving nothing, but the light to destroy the Shadow Queen's body. The dark royal did nothing. Just simply stared in shock as her very essence was dissolving little by little and simply flew away as dust in the wind. Behind her a gentle groan could be heard. The princess quickly turned around to see the koopa prince regain his composure. Before he had a chance to say a word, Maria hugged him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I knew you could do it," he whispered.

"All thanks to you," she replied.

Before they could say another word, the enlightened place shook and Junior quickly steadied Maria. Suddenly it dawned on him what was going on.

"Maria... I think our actual bodies are still fighting..."

"W-what?!"

"I think the trauma of the destruction of the Shadow Queen set everything off. Our bodies are trying to returned to their original forms..."

"Then what do we have to do?"

Junior simply looked at her and immediately the princess trembled with fear. It was that look when they learned their families hated each other. When King Boo attacked them. Even when the Shadow Queen grasped Maria.

They were going to die.

A gentle stream trickled down the princess's face. She did not even try to hide them. Before she could wipe them away, a claw carefully pushed every raindrop that fell from her saddened eyes. Holding onto that very claw, Maria looked up at the koopa prince.

"Do we have to do this?"

Junior gave her a soft nod. "We have to stop our bodies before they do anymore damage. A conscience have to attack each other full one." Realizing their fates were sealed, Maria clenched her fists, but with a small bittersweet smile, slowly walked away. However, she was gently halted by that ever-faithful claw and drawn into a hug with the koopa prince. A sigh escaped her lips and she squeezed her boyfriend harder. They were both delaying the inevitable.

"Maria..." Junior began, "before we do this... I have something I want to tell you..."

"I know," she giggled half-heartedly, "How about we make a promise?"

"Hm? What kind of promise?"

Placing one last kiss on his snout, the princess whispered ever so lightly that Junior had to lean in even closer than before.

"Tell me after we make it out of here."

---------------

Mario rolled over and carefully held his broken -if not shattered- arm. The battle with Bowser was brutal, but the recent addition of the dragon and Shadow Queen...well there were no words to describe all the destruction the pair was creating. The appearance of these two had halted the entire battle and now every soldier on both sides was dodging the chaos.

Suddenly the Shadow Queen released a piercing cry and her entire body slumped to the ground. Everyone on the battlefield froze watched as the dark figure ceased movement.

Then without warning the Shadow Queen regained balance and hovered over the Earth once more. However, something was different. The dark royal did not attack and merely stood motionlessly. Before Mario realized it, the dragon and the Shadow Queen were getting into postion. The Mushroom King's eyes widened with horror. Bowser and himself had been in that same situation so many times...

They were going to charge.

No one moved as the great entities rushed forward. Their cries echoed across the vast land.

A clash of their claws.

Then there was light.

------------------

Junior rolled over and coughed up more blood. Wait...blood?! He was alive! The koopa prince opened his eyes and immediately realized the Shadow Queen had scratched his eye and left a large gash across his stomach. Pressing against his wounds, Junior lifted his gaze to a small figure lying under a tree.

It was a women. Her long brown hair decorated the grass beneath her, and her body was covered in blood. While her hair covered her face, the koopa caught glance of the girl fluttering her pale blue eyes and Junior suddenly realized that the girl was Maria.

Inch by inch, he made his way over to the dying princess and carefully, leaning on one elbow, kissed the forehead of his girl.

"...J-junior?" she whispered.

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied. The princess slid closer to him regardless that blood was dripping across his chest.

"We made it," she finally breathed.

"Yeah..."

"So what were you going to say to me?"

Junior froze for a only second and looked down at Maria. Without a stutter or a cough, the koopa said,

"I love you."

Maria gently smiled back and Junior knew that look meant, _I love you too._

A sudden rumble could be heard in the distances and they knew what it was and it was headed this way.

"Our parents are coming, and by the sound of it, both armies are too," Maria whispered.

For twelve long years a never-ending war attacked and punished the Mushroom Kingdom as well as the Koopa Kingdom. War never was a positive course. There was always violence...always hatred. If one side conquered the other, they would receive worldly things then go after more. It was a constant cycle that never relinquished. But Junior summed all that greed into two sentences.

"Let them come. I'm done."

With that, Junior rested next to Maria and wrapped his brawny arms around her. She accepted the warm and burrowed her face into his neck.

"So this is it..." she whispered, "W-we...we're going...to die."

"Yes."

"...I'm scared."

"Don't be," he said soothingly, "I'll be right here."

And that was the last thing they said. Junior could feel his vision getting heavy and dark. The only thing he could focus on was Maria closing her eyes and her breathing slowing down. Finally the temptation was too great and he too closed his eyes. A moment of peace drifted over the couple and for once in their lives they both knew something. Something that surpassed marching of feet or the dread of what tomorrow would bring.

They were finally together.

And nothing was going to separate them again.

* * *

Well that's it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I thought it was a little rough, but just tell me what you think. That's kind of it for now. I plan to release the final chapter on this story's birthday. Yup =3 The next chapter is the last one *sniff* *sniff* :o Thanks for sticking around you guys! You have been nothing but supportive! 3


	15. Chapter 15: White Cherry Trees

Well this is it! The last chapter. I posted this early because unfortunately, I will not be here on the Super Maria's birthday. ***Sob** * I have planned this story for about 2 years before I finally pieced everything together. There are still some weak parts, but I think I have improved. Thank you guys for being so supportive and patient. I wouldn't be anywhere without you.

Hey, even after this story is over, I still own Maria and Luciano. NAAAAAAA :P

---

Black.

Again, she tried to open her eyes, to see the colors of the world. To see Junior.

Black.

This time, however, it wasn't a fearful darkness that consumed her. It was one of waiting…one of unknown, the future.

"_So this is what it means to be dead,"_ she thought.

Maria floated in the empty nothing peacefully. She couldn't possible tell what day it was or how much time was passing by in the Mushroom World. The princess did not even have the slightest clue as to what happened to her family or Junior. Surprisingly, none of that bothered her. She was dead. You can't change that.

A yawn escaped Maria's lips. She couldn't be she was tired! _"You would think once you're dead, your soul shouldn't get sleepy"_ Another long sigh. "_Ah well. I have plenty of time to sleep. I don't need to worry sleeping in late. Haha"_

---

After what seemed like hours (Or maybe weeks?) the princess awoke with a strange sensation overcoming her. She was still surrounded by darkness, but the floating feeling was gone. It was as if she was lying on the ground. And the more Maria stared into the darkness, the more she realized it wasn't a pure black. She could see hues of blue and green…even yellow.

Finally, after an eternity of silence, Maria opened her mouth and whispered ever so softly,

"Hello?"

With that, the girl's dark environment changed. It was as if someone had placed a flashlight in a hole, showing the princess what was surrounding her. At once, the faint colors grew brighter with each second, forming familiar shapes. A tree hung over Maria, making sky and sun an intricate pattern between its leaves. Fingers curled around the lush grass and finally, she sat up staring at the landscape. One word came to mind.

Heaven.

Everything was…perfect. The rolling hills stretched for miles. Even the stream, a clear crystal, flowed perpetually and Maria's eyes followed the river until she…

Someone was at the edge of the stream. She quickly rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining the person. No, they were still there. Someone Maria had not seen in a very long time.

"Mom," the princess heard herself say and with that darted across the fields.

Like a small child, she ran fearlessly and cried out to her mother. Maria could feel the tears falling as the mysterious figure turned her. That unforgettable smile warmed the girl's heart. It was her mother.

The Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom said nothing, but held her arms open and embraced her daughter joyfully. A serene silence descended upon mother and child. One that was filled with so many years of lost affection.

"Maria," Peach finally spoke, her voice as vivid and radiant as it always was, "My dear…it has been so long. I have missed you so much."

The princess snuggled closer, "I missed you too…"

"My goodness," the queen whispered, holding the girl's hands, "You have grown so much. Mario must have been so proud of you. A strong, independent woman."

_Must Have Been_ rang through the princess's thought and she decided it would be better to ask what had happened.

"Mom…am I dead?" Maria said dishearteningly, "Everything went black in the Mushroom World…and you don't seem like an illusion so..is everything…over?"

A bittersweet smile spread across Peach's face and she gave a soft sigh. "You aren't exactly dead, sweetie, but you may not be alive much longer. Right now, you standing between life or death…and the choice is yours to make."

"I-i can choose to pass on or not?!"

Her mother nodded gently and continued, "Many unfortunate and unforeseen things befell upon you and your time came too quickly; therefore, the Afterlife has decided to give you a choice: You may return to the world of the living and finish out your life or remain here with me in the Overthere."

Maria remained quiet for a moment or so, to process what she had just been told. She could choose her fate! Never once in her life had she been given a choice without suffering horrible consequences… The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom finally had what she had desired for so long: Freedom. Yes, she could feel the pain that her family would suffer once she passed on, but…

"Mother," she began, "this place is paradise and I want to stay by your side bu-"

"Maria!"

The white princess turned to see a small figure…a koopa child crying out her name. The boy had a spiky green shell…and a red ponytail- Could it be?

"Is…that Junior?" the girl whispered.

"A figment of your imagination," Peach smiled, "A symbol of what you want in your life…"

Maria turned to her mother and was ready to open her mouth, but the queen continued, "Maria, my darling, I know he is the one you love and…"

"You should return to him."

The princess could only stare as her mother chuckled lightly and grabbed her daughter's hand, "No one blames you for falling in love, Maria. Even Luciano realized that. As long as you were happy, he understood, and I wholeheartedly agree. True love is something you get once in a lifetime, and everyone deserves a chance at happiness. Even if it's deciding between life or death."

"But Mom, I don't want to leav-"

"Maria, I will always be here. When you die, we will meet again, but you have the right to enjoy life _and_ death with Junior." Peach gave the princess a persuasive push towards the boy, "Go," she whispered, "Go and be where you truly belong." With that Peach slowly walked away leaving Maria to ponder her fate.

"Wait!" the princess cried out to her mother, "I can't go back to the living world!"

The queen stopped dead in her tracks and turned with a serious look upon her face, "Why is that my dear?"

"Because…" Maria said, tears already forming in her eyes, "I never got the chance to tell you something…"

Suddenly, the body Maria transformed in the image of a small girl of four years old, her cheeks stained with sadness and rushed over to her mother who grabbed and held in her arms.

The little girl whispered as her mother hugged her and listened to the soft words that echoed across the land.

"I never said good-bye…"

Tears fell from Peach's face. After twelve years of guilt and sadness the queen and princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, mother and child, were finally at peace, and Peach held Maria for what seemed like eternity before the little princess said gently, "I have to go." The pain was evident from their expressions, but each knew in their hearts, it was for the best.

"I understand," her mother replied and placed Maria back onto the ground and slowly released her child's hand. Waving one last farewell, the girl turned toward the koopa boy and rushed forward, never looking once back. Peach smiled and preferred to have it that way. Maria had no need to dwell on such sadness anymore.

She was free.

A glorious energy burst inside the princess as she tackle-hugged Junior to the ground. They both got up with wide grins on their faces and dashed across the land. Maria wasn't sure as to where she was going, but Junior was leading the way. Everything would be ok.

Abruptly the koopa prince stopped, and Maria nearly crashed into him as he pointed to object in front of him.

It was a door. A large oak door with a handle perfect for the girl's short stature.

"This is it," Maria whispered, but smiled as she felt Junior gently squeeze her hand. "Thank you," she continued with a carefree laugh, "I'll see you on the other side."

Not another word was spoken as the child lifted the handle and pulled back. Inside seemed dark, but Maria simply nodded and walked in. The door closed behind her. She suddenly felt scared. Alone.

"_Please…" she thought to herself._

"_Please, let me wake up."_

---

She felt sore. Everything was tender. Even the light hurt her eyes…

"_Light?! Oh my gosh..." _Maria's eyes flashed opened as she carefully sat up to look around. She was in a hospital bed, her body was in bandages and all sorts of confusing machines were hooked up to her. She could see the brown hair that fluttered at her shoulders and stared at her feet while she wiggled her toes.

"…I'm alive," she finally breathed.

As her gaze continued upward she noticed someone sitting across from her bed. The young man was snoring heavily, large bags curled under his eyes. He reminded Maria of a famous Mushroom hero she was related to, the only exception was the light brown hair.

"Luciano," the princess said loudly, hoping to wake him up. With her luck, the prince slowly yawned and turned his bloodshot eyes to the girl in bed. It took him a mere three seconds before he jumped out of his seat and grabbed his beloved cousin with all his might.

Checking to see what the commotion was, a nurse peeked inside the room; only to rush back out with joy and quickly announced that the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom finally had awakened.

Before Maria had a chance to catch her breath from Luciano's bear-grip hug, her aunt and uncle clobbered her with overjoyed affection, they too, had exhaustion painted across their face.

"Oh sweetheart," Daisy mumbled over the persistent sniffles, "…we really thought we lost you honey…oh my god…I thought I was going to lose you…just like Peach!"

Nothing more to say, Luciano's mother broke down in heavy sobs while her husband held her and whispered softly to her. Maria simply sat there watching everything with amazement, but a uncomfortable feeling was rising in her stomach and she need she had to get to the bottom of it.

"Is the war…over?"

The prince looked up at his cousin with wide eyes, even her aunt and uncle glance over slightly surpried. "You mean don't know what happened?" Luciano said,  
"You don't remember anything?"

The princess shook her head. She didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Well," the boy let out a sigh, "There was a huge battle at the border of the Mushroom Kingdom and so many soldiers had died, on both sides, we thought we had lost practically everyone. But that fight between the dragon and Shadow Queen, well, that shook up everything. No one is sure what happened but the for some reason they charged at each other, and BOOM!" The prince made a large clapping noise with his hands, "Everything was swallowed in a white light then…the battlefield…"

"What happened, Luciano?" Maria leaned in closer.

"All the blood and damage…was gone. Apparently someone saw something fall from the sky so each went to go check out what it was while the generals assessed the totality. No one died."

"W-what?!"

"Yeah. Exactly. No one knows what that light exactly did, but no one died. A few injuries, but nothing more. It was the weirdest thing in the world."

"Well what fell from the sky?" Maria asked excitedly, to hear this wonderful news…surely the war would have to end soon.

But her cousin's face grimaced every so slightly, that nervousness came back full force.

"Your father and Bowser went to the spot where it landed," Luciano began, pausing with a large sigh, "They saw you and Bowser Junior…in each other arms. Your father thought that the koopa kid-"

"HE DID NOTHING TO ME!" Maria spit out hotly; this could mean anything…more violence, another long war!

"I know…" Luciano whispered averting his eyes, "Your father and the entire kingdom knows too…"

The princess felt her blood run cold and she held for breath for moment and whispered, "How?"

"Luciano and Toadette had-a _very_ interesting story for me," a voice cut in.

Maria knew who it was without even making eye contact with them. Somehow, she knew this moment would come. It just was a matter of when. There was no way to back out now. No more lies or secrets. Fearlessly, the princess locked eyes with the very person who could carry her to the top of the world, but catch her when she wasn't looking.

Her father, Mario.

----------

Junior frowned at the sight before him. Today was never going to end.

He breathed in deeply not only to help the chest wound he had received from the Shadow Queen, but to steady the beating of his own heart.

All seven of his siblings had come to the castle. No, not to check on his health, but the rumors that had surfaced from the war.

The Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Prince of the Koopa Kingdom were together.

Oh boy.

Actually the koopa prince corrected himself. They really weren't rumors, but the truth that had spread like wildfire. Who had revealed the secret of his relationship? Junior himself. After waking up in the hospital, (again), the koopa was confronted by Kammy who had questioned Junior on everything that had happened in the recent months. He was so tired and mentally exhausted, he simply decided it was for the best and spilled the beans.

It had helped Junior though. A great burden was lifted from his chest and he wasn't the one to tell his father everything. Kammy was. The poor assistant had tried her best to keep everything hush-hush, but…

There was a leak. A huge one.

Well, all gossip broke into chaos and grabbed the attention of all seven koopalings who dashed back to Papa K.

A sigh brought Junior back to the present. Wendy, his only sister, filed her claws impatiently before quickly flipping her fake orange hair back onto her shoulders.

"Soooo," she said coldly.

"So what?" Junior curtly replied, every scale in his body cried for freedom. He didn't despise his siblings, but he knew they didn't come all this way just to check on him. Just his love life. He wished he could just run away, maybe find Maria and take her too. Though he hadn't heard anything of her safety…which made him worr-

"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Wendy slammed a fist on the table, "Junior! Say something!"

"What do you want me to say?! Frankly, it's none of your goddamn business what's going on in my life!"

"But Junior!" Morton interrupted, still short and pudgy and yes, still a loudmouth, "This is absolutely, positively, serious! We thought you could trust us. We're your brothers -and sister-, we are bound together through an unbreakable bond! Why couldn't you have turned us! Your dearest trustworth-"

"OH SHUDDA UP!"

With one swift punch, Roy, thankfully, silenced the beast and quickly summarized, "Wha chatterbox over here is sayin' is, why didn't youze turn to uz? King Dad is ragin' mad. We could have helped."

"Oh really," Junior snapped back, "What was I suppose to say? 'Hey, I'm in love with the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom.' That sounds so much like Dad with Princess Peach and looked how that turned out…"

An awkward silence descended upon the table. Morton was just returning to his seat and opened his mouth to say something, but a quick glare from Roy, prevented him from saying a word.

Larry, the closest in age to the koopa prince, broke the silence, "Junior, it's the same thing. We all know why we helped King Dad with our schemes because we wanted him to happy."

"Wow. That got him everlasting happiness," he replied harshly.

"So you think we shouldn't have tried at all?!?" Iggy snarled.

"Dad did so much for this kingdom!" Lemmy barked, "After what happened with Mom, he deserved to be with someone again. So should you!"

"THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE!" Junior roared and crashed both claws onto the table and the anger that echoed in the room, silenced the group. "Dad never got what he wanted the most! After all we did for him…every evil scheme…every kidnapping…None of it made a difference! Why do you think you can change anything now!?"

"But she adores you ever so much, doesn't she, Junior? That's a pretty big difference"

Every single head turned to the voice that shattered Junior's logic. Ludwig had remained quiet and calm while the rest of his siblings bickered and argued at the table. It was the usual. After all these years, the koopalings realized when Ludwig talked, he had a pretty good idea what was going on. No one dared to interrupt him.

"If you both cared equally about each other, you should have a right together. Yes, we all have felt the bitterness when reminded of failure to bring Father and Queen Peach together. I would be lying if I said I was just trying to bring you and Princess Maria together, so you may be happy. All of us want to erase the painful mistakes that occurred with Father's heartbreak. Your union with her would resurrect that success."

Junior could only look at his brother with sadness. It figures they would all to help if they themselves could gain something.

"But," Ludwig interjected, "That doesn't mean we don't care about you."

"Yeah," Wendy spoke up, "Junior, you're like our little brother. We all share a bond that parents don't quite get…we don't like to see you depressed."

"What she said squirt," Roy interrupted," Don't get me wrong. I lovez a good fight with youze, but doesn't mean I hate ya. I'll be with ya to da bittur end."

"So even if this means we get a good smack down from King Dad-," Iggy began.

"-We'll stand by you," Lemmy finished.

Junior was absolutely stunned. Somehow during all of this, his heart rate was beating at a normal speed. He wasn't afraid anymore. He was felt like he could conquer the world.

"So," Wendy asked once more.

"So what?" Junior retorted, a smirk on his face.

"Do you like her or what?!" Morton shouted excitedly.

"…yeah I do."

His siblings released a loud sigh unanimous sigh.

"Like thank goodness," Wendy said, "We're happy you like actually had a girlfriend all along."

Larry started with a snort," Yeah, for awhile we all thought you were gay."

The gloomy atmosphere that surrounded the family erupted into a loud collections of laughs, giggles, guffhaws and snorting. Things seemed almost normal…

There was a sudden knock at the door.

A servant walked in and bow.

"Prince Bowser Junior?"

"Yes."

"Your father would like a word with you."

------

Maria walked slowly amongst the white cherry trees, each petal fluttered away aimlessly and beautifully covered the pathway that she followed.

She was not alone.

Her father was by her side.

Neither had spoken a word.

It had been a few days since she was released from the hospital. Everyone knew the story now even part where King Boo attacked her. She did, however, omit her mom's secret grave. Fear of another war stricken her mind so she remained quiet about that.

She had not spoken to her father during those few days. The castle was tense and what was to come. Maria didn't like this wait. She wanted the yelling to be done and over with.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mario spoke to her for the first time in days.

"I don't know, Dad," Maria said shortly, "Maybe it's because you would be furious at me?!"

"You could always come to me!" he said back, "When have I ever not be there for you?!"

"Every other day for twelve years when you were cursing Bowser's name! You have no idea what I was going through dad! You never understood me! All you wanted to do was play war with Bowser and guess what? YOU GOT IT!"

Mario acknowledged defeat.

He stopped and closed his eyes. The princess stood there and watched him sadly.

"Maria," he said quietly, "I didn't a mean. A lot of things happened at once. Your mother's a death. Your detracting health. Bowser was the last straw that day. Twelve years is a long time. I was a-lucky. Very few people died. But all this time, I grew away from you. Just for pride. I know you won't forgive me. Rightfully so…"

"But I am sorry. For everything I did. I failed you…as a father."

Maria witnessed the same event she saw twelve years ago. Her father was crying. Not small little tears, deep mournful sobs. But she didn't need to see that. All she ever wanted was a true apology. She finally got it. Yelling now would be pointless.

Maria hugged her father dearly.

"Thank you. That's all I wanted to hear."

Mario gently nodded and carefully grabbed his daughter's hand.

"I have decided something, Maria."

"What is it?"

"Besides the welfare of my people, I want to dedicate my life to something important: your happiness."

"That's a large declaration," Maria laughed, "How do you propose on achieving that?"

Without even realizing, the princess had arrived at a small grove in the forest. The petals scattered across the grass making everything a snowy white, but in the middle of the winter wonderland was the koopa himself.

Bowser Junior.

He wasn't alone. His father was by his side talking to him. The prince hadn't noticed Maria yet.

"You mean?" Maria turned to her father surprised.

Her father gave her a smile and nodded.

At that moment Junior, who seemed to have the same conversation with his father, saw Maria.

Their eyes met.

Shaking her head, the princess charged forward and enraptured by the koopa's massive arms.

"Have we met before?" Junior said.

"Maybe once or twice," Maria replied back.

"Well, I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"Sounds good to me."

Their lips clashed together and neither cared that their parents were looking at them happily.

Mario walked over to Bowser casually. The koopa king smirked at the sight of his son.

"So I a-guess this is it," Mario stated.

"I suppose so," Bowser replied nonchalantly.

A momentary pause.

"Good, Imma gonna retire," The Mushroom King laughed.

"Well I wouldn't say that," Bowser said eyebrows raised as if he knew something else."

"Hm? What do you a mean?"

"Well, they're gonna have to get married now. Who's going to help them? Then they're probably gonna have kids. I don't want miss that for retirement."

Mario rolled his eyes and chucked lightheartedly once more.

"Mamma mia, the story never ends."

"You're righ on that one," Bowser continued, "…but I don't want anymore fights. I want my grandchildren to know that I care for them…So truce?"

The Italian hero took the extended claw and firmly shook it, breaking away all the hatred and pain that was chained to them.

"Truce."

-----

That's it. Wow. That's it. Oh my gosh. This is definitely my longest and best chapter. I'm very proud to end this story on such a good note. (Though I felt the end was a little rushed…) Thank you Thank you. Thank you. You all have been so wonderful. I really was lucky to get such a great bunch of readers. Your reviews were so encouraging. I probably wouldn't have finished this story with you. THANK YOU!! I don't know when I'll post another story, but I definitely have some in the works. Yay for one year!


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